BATAVIA, Ohio – This weekend the Lakers traveled down to Cincinnati to compete in the MACRA Championships on Lake Harsha.

The men's freshman four kicked off the day of racing the varsity four event. Mercyhurst came third in the heats with a time of 7:06.1, just after Ohio State (7:00.9) and Cincinnati (7:04.6). In the grand final, the Lakers edged out Cincinnati for third place with a time of 6:54.5. Ohio State captured first (6:50.7) and MSOE came in second (6:51.5).

Next up, the women's varsity four competed against regional competition. The Lakers came in second in the heats with a time of 7:59.9. Vanderbilt finished first in the heat with a time of 7:55.2 and Grand Valley came in third with 8:11.4. In the grand final, Mercyhurst captured the Tim Royal Cup, for the third time in a row, with a finishing time of 7:42.4. Ohio State came in second with a time of 4:45.6 and Vanderbilt finished third with 7:48.6.

Next, the men's lightweight four competed in a straight final. Mercyhurst finished first and captured the Jim Buckalew Cup with a time of 6:51.3. Chicago finished just behind with a time of 6:52.5 and Cincinnati placed third with a time of 6:59.1.

The men's lightweight eight competed in the men's 2^nd, 3^rd, and lightweight varsity eight event. After coming second in the heat with a time of 6:31.3, the lightweight men placed second in the grand final with a time of 6:12.2. Michigan came in first with a time of 6:09.3 while Grand Valley came in third with a time of 6:14.0.
In the women's eight event, the Lakers finished second in the heat with a time of 7:09.5. Eastern Michigan finished first with a time of 6:55.2 and Cincinnati came in just behind in third with a time of 7:33.1. In the grand final, the Lakers placed second with a time of 6:57.8. Eastern Michigan finished first with a time of 6:53.6 while Grand Valley placed third with 6:59.9.

In the final event of the day, the men's varsity eight, Mercyhurst finished second in the heat with a time of 6:16.0. Michigan finished the heat first with a time of 6:07.2 and Michigan State finished third with a time of 6:22.0. However, in the grand final, the Lakers secured the Ralph Lindamood Cup and captured gold with a time of 6:01.8. Michigan followed close behind with a time of 6:03.5 while Grand Valley placed third with 6:04.5.

"It's always good to finish a day of racing with the entire team in high spirits" said head coach Adrian Spracklen. "It's been a while since the entire team has walked away with medals. Everyone performed well today, and having the added support of friends and family there really made the day memorable."

The Lakers will head to the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, PA May 11^th. Stay up to date with the program by following @HurstRowing on Twitter.