Moon Township, Pa. – For the first time in program history, the Robert Morris University men's golf team had three student-athletes recognized by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) as Srixon / Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars, as graduate Max Palmer, returning senior Kyle Grube, and rising junior Chase Miller were all bestowed with the honor.
To be eligible for Srixon / Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status, an individual must be a sophomore, junior, or senior academically in Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their Associate's Degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must have a stroke average under 76.0 in Division I, 78.0 in Division II, 79.0 in Division III, 78.0 in NAIA, or 77.0 in NJCAA, and maintain a cumulative career grade point average of 3.2. For 2019-20 only, they must participate in 40 percent of the team's competitive rounds.
RELEASE: 2019-20 Early Wave Srxion / Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars Announced
Grube and Palmer are the second and third Robert Morris student-athletes to garner GCAA All-America Scholar recognition twice, joining 2010 and 2011 recipient C.G. Mercatoris. Additionally, Miller's inclusion is the first time three Colonials have been honored, with 2015 (Matt Gurska, Ryan Prokay) and 2019 (Grube, Palmer) being the only other times RMU had multiple All-America Scholars in a season.
An Indiana, Pa. product, Grube was enjoying his best season statistically in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the campaign. The senior paced RMU with a 73.5 stroke average – that mark being the second lowest in single-season history – over 10 rounds, and brought home a pair of runner-up finishes. He posted three rounds at or below par, capping the abbreviated campaign with a career-low 68 (-4) in the second round of the Lonnie Barton Invitational. Grube fired a three-under 69 in the lone round of the Towson Fall Invitational, helping the Colonials extend their streak of 11 consecutive seasons with at least one tournament win.
A management and hospitality and tourism management double major, Grube owns a 3.72 cumulative grade point average and was bestowed with the RMU Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award at last month's virtual Athletics Award Ceremony. As one of 17 Colonials who are taking advantage of the NCAA's waiver allowing spring sport senior student-athletes to return in 2020-21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grube will enter his fifth year ranked fourth all-time in program history in stroke average (75.70) and rounds par and under (10).
RELATED: Robert Morris Announces Return of 17 Spring Sport Student-Athletes
Miller, a rising junior from Bernville, Pa., is the first sophomore to be named a GCAA All-America Scholar. Following a strong freshman season in 2018-19, he shaved nearly a point-and-a-half from his stroke average, coming in at 75.1 over 14 rounds. Miller posted three top-25 finishes, with a best of 20th at the Towson Fall Invitational. His season low of 71 came in the opening 18 holes of the Bucknell Fall Invitational, as he came away with a 22nd-place effort in an 81-player field.
Carrying a 3.44 cumulative grade point average as a finance major, Miller is believed to be the only player in program annals to win his collegiate debut tournament, as he accomplished the feat at the 2018 NKU Fall Collegiate Classic. He posted the best 54-hole performance by strokes in school history at that event, coming in at 210 (-3) to capture medalist honors. Miller will enter his junior season ranked sixth all-time in stroke average (76.08) and 12th in rounds par and under (6).
For Palmer, a native of Novi, Mich., the second GCAA All-America Scholar nod is yet another honor added to an illustrious career. The graduate finished the shortened 2019-20 season with the fifth-lowest stroke average in school history (73.9), three rounds at or below par, and two top-10 finishes. He won his first medalist honor at the rain-shortened Towson Fall Invitational, carding a 68 (-4) in the only round to top Grube by a stroke. In addition to his performance at Towson, Palmer also posted a 68 in the first round of the Bucknell Fall Invitational, matching his career low for the third time.
A finance major, Palmer graduated in May with a 3.61 cumulative grade point average and was named RMU Outstanding Male at last month's virtual Athletics Award Ceremony. He goes down as one of the best players in program history, as he is the only Colonial to capture both NEC Golfer and Rookie of the Year plaudits. A three-time All-NEC selection, Palmer owns the single-season record in top-five finishes (5, 2018-19), and ranks second all-time in stroke average (74.07), rounds par and under (18), and top-five finishes (12), and third in top-10 finishes (17).
RELATED: Into the Spotlight: Max Palmer (Part I)
RELATED: Into the Spotlight: Max Palmer (Part II)
Under 20th-year head coach Jerry Stone, Robert Morris has won 23 competitions and a pair of Northeast Conference (NEC) championships in 2015 and 2019. Entering their debut Horizon League season in 2020-21, the Colonials will feature a young roster of three freshmen, seven sophomores, one junior, and two seniors, highlighted by the returns of Grube and Miller.
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