rowing Powers toward victory Head Coach Adrian Spracklen '90, who took over women’s rowing in 1992 and the men’s team in 1998, has turned both into powerhouses. The women captured the NCAA welcomed back alums from each decade of the program’s history at the Findley Lake Autumn Classic. Each of the Laker teams dominated the regatta, with wins over Penn State, RIT, and Marietta. After the regatta, alumni caught up with old teammates at dinner and heard from Spracklen, who spoke about some exciting future initiatives. Then in October 2021, Mercyhurst earned two medals, including its f i st
National Championships in 2004 and 2010. They have also been national runners-up f i ve times, including most recently in the spring of 2021. The men’s teams have been just as successful, earning trophies at the Dad Vail Championships in each of the past 10 years. In 2021, Spracklen’s women’s team won f i rst place at theDad Vail regatta
gold, at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCRin Boston. The women’s eights took gold in dominating fashion, as they led the entire race. The team of Gabriell e Christello , Erin Jackso n, Autum n Kearny , Natali e Peddell, Ann Kathrin Mueller, Grace Skapura, Elizabeth Northrup, Anna Majek, and Olivia Avery turned in a time of 17:16.794 in the win. Right after the women took gold, the men’s fours took silver, earning their f i rst-ever medal at the regatta. The Lakers beat 38 other schools including Notre Dame, UC Santa Barbara, Marietta, UC Irvine, and Drexel. Seanna Zona, Nate Harris, Kristian Trebilcock, Matthew Wnek, and Ethan Debasitis had a time of 16:53.320, falling to Division I Vanderbilt.
before going on to capture second in the country at the NCAA National Championships in Sarasota, Florida. The Lakers earned two Pocock All-Americans following the 2021 season: Anna Majek and Grace Skapura. Both were key members of the eights boat that took second at nationals. Henley Spracklen was awarded the NCAA Elite 90 Award, while also being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team. The men f i nished last season in Mercer, New Jersey, at IRA National Championships. The lightweight team f i nished the championships with a fourth place in overall team standings, while taking second in the fours, falling to Navy in the f i nal. The heavyweight team came in second in their f i nal fours race, defeating George Washington, Colgate, Princeton, and UC San Diego, while falling to Stanford by .177 of a second in the f i nal. The 2021-22 season started with a bang with Mercyhurst celebrating the 50th anniversary of its rowing program. On Sept. 26, the Lakers
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