As  many  students  on  campus know,   an   exciting   annual   tradition  for  the  Lakers  is  coming up  this  week:  the  Mercyhurst versus  Gannon  basketball  game. On Feb. 9, both the Mercyhurst men’s   and   women’s   basketball  teams will take on cross-town rivals from Gannon in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

This event includes much more than  just  the  game  such  as  increased  entertainment  from  the dance   team   and   cheerleaders,  games  that  involve  student  participation  during  breaks  in  the plays,  free  merchandise  for  students  and  most  importantly,  an increased  crowd  full  of  supporters and fans from both schools. In addition to high attendance from  the  current  Laker  student body,  the  teams  can  also  expect support  from  a  wide  range  of Mercyhurst alumni.

As an event through the Alumni Office, graduates from all years have  the  opportunity  to  attend this  basketball  game.  Not  only is  this  a  great  chance  for  alumni to connect with others and make a  return  to  their  beloved  alma mater  campus,  but  it  is  also  a great chance to support the men’s team.

“Having alumni back on campus just further proves our ‘Hurst is Home’ feeling,” Lindsay Frank, Director of Alumni Engagement

said. “Whether they graduated 5 years ago or 65, it’s always exciting for alumni to return home.”

The  Lakers  will  certainly  appreciate  the  extra  support,  and it  is  a  great  chance  for  current Mercyhurst students to really see the  impact  alumni  have  on  the school  and  envision  life  beyond the gates. Just  like  the  Mercyhurst  versus  Gannon  match,  the  annual alumni  event  surrounding  this game  is  also  a  longstanding  tradition on campus dating back to over ten years ago. For   this   year’s   event,   Laker  alumni  were  able  to  register  via the  alumni  page  of  the  Mercyhurst   website.   Those   who   are  attending  this  event  will  begin the  night  with  a  happy  hour  at the Roost starting at 5:30 before making  their  way  over  to  the Mercyhurst  Athletic  Center  to watch the game. In addition to having access to VIP  reserved  seats  at  the  game, it  will  also  be  the  first  time  that many of these alumni will be setting foot in the recently renovated Athletic Center. Overall, this event is a huge hit with alumni and brings a fantastic excuse to return back to campus.

Mercyhurst  was  not  able  to host  this  event  last  year  due  to the  pandemic,  so  there  is  even more  excitement  in  the  air  with this  year’s  return  of  the  beloved tradition.

“This  event  was  actually  the final  event  that  the  Alumni  Office  hosted  in  2020  before  the pandemic  hit,”  Frank  said.  “We have not been able to host it since then,  so  it’s  really  exciting  to  be able to welcome our alumni back to campus again!”