Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University athletic department has announced the return of 17 senior student-athletes across six different programs that had their 2020 seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robert Morris will welcome back Alyssa Alberghini (women's track & field), Madison Burke (women's lacrosse), Anna Chasovskaia (women's track & field), Kelly Colegrove (women's lacrosse), Mackenzie Gandy (women's lacrosse), Melanie Gandy (women's lacrosse), Kyle Grube (men's golf), Kestra Harris (rowing), Natalie Higgins (softball), Clio Kerr (women's lacrosse), Shea McArdle (women's lacrosse), Katelyn Miller (women's lacrosse), Austin Popovich (men's lacrosse), Madison Riggle (softball), James Scane (men's lacrosse), Ryan Smith (men's lacrosse), and Thalia Zolis (women's lacrosse).
Alberghini, a native of Fairfield, Pa., is a three-time Northeast Conference (NEC) Academic Honor Roll selection for the women's track & field team. She specializes in distance events, owning personal bests of 5:31.72 in the 1,500-meter, 13:05.61 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and 19:55.87 in the 5,000-meter.
Burke, a native of Finksburg, Md., was an All-NEC Second Team pick in 2019 for the women's lacrosse team. She led the Colonials in groundballs (23) and caused 11 turnovers in the abbreviated 2020 season, after posting respective numbers of 35 and 17 in those categories as a junior. The defender has played in the last 42 games for RMU, starting 41 of them.
Chasovskaia, a native of Taganrog, Russia, owns the women's track & field records for the indoor 600-meter (1:38.86) and the outdoor 4x400-meter relay (3:52.02). An All-NEC Rookie Team honoree for the outdoor 400-meter dash in 2017, she later captured First Team plaudits for the indoor 500-meter and Second Team accolades for the outdoor 4x400-meter relay in 2018.
Colegrove, a native of Marriottsville, Md., is a two-time All-NEC First Team selection for the women's lacrosse team. She was named NEC Defensive Player of the week on March 2 this season and led the Colonials with 17 caused turnovers. As a junior, the defender topped the conference and ranked fifth nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.71), and finished second in single-season annals with 46 in total.
Mackenzie Gandy, a native of Baltimore, Md., will enter 2021 four points shy of breaking the women's lacrosse program's career points record. She is a two-time All-NEC First Team pick – also garnering Rookie Team plaudits in 2017 – and has amassed 106 points over the last two seasons. The attack had four hat tricks in the shortened 2020 season, and scored 47 tallies in 2019 – the second most in single-season history.
Melanie Gandy, a native of Baltimore, Md., ranks seventh in women's lacrosse program history in career points (136). In the abbreviated 2020 campaign, she finished second on the team in goals (16) and points (31) behind twin sister, Mackenzie. The attack dished out 32 assists in 2019 – the second most in single-season annals – and grabbed a team-high 38 groundballs.
Grube, a native of Indiana, Pa., was named to the All-NEC First Team and a Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-America Scholar in 2019 for men's golf. He enters his final season fourth all-time in stroke average (75.70) and rounds par and under (10), and posted a 73.50 stroke average in the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign – the second lowest mark in school history.
Harris, a native of St. Catherines, Ontario, has been the rowing team's Varsity 8 coxswain since her freshman year. She received the Scholar Athlete Award from the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) in 2018, and helped RMU finish fifth at the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships.
Higgins, a native of Middletown, Ohio, will begin 2021 ranked in a tie for fourth in doubles (35) and 13th in homeruns (16) for the softball team. She hit seven homers and tallied 23 runs batted in during the 2019 season, earning All-NEC Second Team accolades in the process. The year prior, the infielder led the team with a .361 batting average.
Kerr, a native of Frederick, Md., ranks second in women's lacrosse history in draw controls (205). In her junior season, she collected 96 draw controls – a number that slotted fifth in single-season annals and ranked 26th nationally. The midfielder represented Team Ireland at the 2019 European Championships, helping them to a seventh-place finish with 14 goals in nine games.
McArdle, a native of Annapolis, Md., has been a three-year starter for the Colonials women's lacrosse team. She recorded double figures in groundballs and caused turnovers in each of those three seasons, netting 10 of both in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. The defender finished fourth on the team in caused turnovers in 2019.
Miller, a native of Bel Air, Md., has never missed a start in the cage over her four seasons with the women's lacrosse team. She owns the RMU all-time records in wins (37), save percentage (.466), and goals against average (9.98), and is second in total saves (467). The goalkeeper posted the 12th best save percentage in the nation in 2019 at .490, helping the Colonials win a program-record 12 games.
Popovich, a native of Columbus, Ohio, was on the verge of a career season for the men's lacrosse team in 2020. In just six games, he posted career bests in goals (18) and points (27), and added nine assists. The midfielder registered three hat tricks and three multi-assist performances this past season, headlined by a seven-point (5g, 2a) effort in the opener at Canisius on Feb. 15.
Riggle, a native of Roseville, Ohio, has contributed to the RMU softball team both at the dish and in the circle. She is a three-time NEC Academic Honor Roll selection, logging 273.1 innings as a pitcher and 146 at-bats at the plate. The righty was off to a flying start offensively in 2020, hitting .308 with three homeruns and 12 runs batted in over 52 at-bats.
Scane, a native of Clarkston, Mich., has played in 41 games as a midfielder on the men's lacrosse team. He was given the Ironman Award prior to the 2019 campaign for excellence in off-season conditioning, then contributed a goal and three groundballs in the Colonials' NEC Tournament title run. Scane appeared in all six games in 2020, tallying four groundballs and three caused turnovers.
Smith, a native of Burlington, Ontario, is a three-time All-NEC selection and the men's lacrosse program's only NEC Rookie of the Year honoree. He broke the RMU single-game record for points in the 2020 opener, tallying 10 (8g, 2a) in a 22-10 win at Canisius. The attack ranks sixth all-time in goals (94), assists (52), and points (146), and has contributed 77 groundballs and 18 caused turnovers defensively.
Zolis, a native of Oakville, Ontario, has played in all 60 games over her career with the women's lacrosse team, starting 17 of them. She led the Colonials in man-up goals during the shortened 2020 season with four, and went 5-of-6 on free-position attempts. The midfielder posted career bests in goals (12), points (14), groundballs (23), and caused turnovers (12) in 2019.
From its fertile beginning as a men's basketball junior college powerhouse to one of the most diverse athletic programs in the Pittsburgh tri-state area, Robert Morris offers 16 intercollegiate athletic programs, including the only men's and women's NCAA Division I hockey teams and men's lacrosse team in the region. Over the last 44 years, the Colonials have claimed 50 conference regular-season championships and 51 league tournament titles.
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