Aug. 4, 2005

Indianapolis, Ind. - The men's heavyweight four continued its mastery of the opposition with a strong gold medal-winning performance at the Indianapolis Invitational Saturday, April 30. The event was postponed from last weekend due to bad weather. The varsity four crossed the finish line 6.3 seconds ahead of the University of Michigan.

The men's lightweight eight competed in the second varsity eight and overcame a poor start that found them in fourth place after 500 meters. A strong middle 1000 meters and sprint moved them up through the field into the silver medal position where they remained crossing the finish line.

The last event of the day was the men's varsity eight. Competing with a new lineup, the Lakers found themselves right in the mix with over half the race down. With 500 meters to go, it became a three boat race among Ohio State, Purdue and Mercyhurst. After a mad final sprint to the line, a second separated the three boats with Ohio State coming out on top, followed by Purdue and Mercyhurst.

"Being the last regular season race, it was important to show the selection committee that we deserve a post-season berth," said head coach Adrian Spracklen. "We have had good results from all boats at some point in the season, but you never really know how it will all turn out."

The team must now wait until Tuesday, May 3, to find out if it will get a post-season invitation to the ECAC National Invitational in Worcester, MA.

Men's Varsity Four Final Result

1st. Mercyhurst, 6:45.5
2nd. Michigan, 6:51.8
3rd. Grand Valley, 7:09.9

Men's Light Eight Final Result

1st. Michigan, 6:12.7
2nd. Mercyhurst, 6:15.5
3rd. Purdue, 6:17.6
4th. Ohio State, 6:18.5
5th. Michigan State, 6:20.5

Men's Varsity Eight Final Results

1st. Ohio State, 6:02.05
2nd. Purdue, 6:02.05
3rd. Mercyhurst, 6:03.05