Robert Morris University (PA)

"Where there is smoke, there is fire. Beware of Grove and her staff! In Grove’s 3 years at RMU, 12 players have either transferred or quit lacrosse altogether. Several were either starters or contributing players. Things are so bad a starter quit with half a season left, due to the mental anguish caused by Grove. Grove is a game player, she messes with players mental health, and this has been repeated over and over. Grove will sit players who were starting and/or regularly playing and provide little in terms of what they did or need to do to get back to their roles. She punishes the whole team with excessive physical drills when a single team member violates a team rule. Her 'favorites' can do whatever they want with never any call out. Several players have brought forward complaints to the Athletic Administration. That AD has since resigned. Grove takes advantage of the inherent trust the players give her and then manipulates them. They ask for feedback to improve their game, little if anything concrete is ever given back to the player. Grove gets defensive if anyone challenges her. Grove is very passive aggressive, will come across super nice and then turn on players. This team has continued to drop in the MAC rankings under Grove. Teams in the MAC they once handled easily are beating them now. Pre-game preparation is always last minute and totally unorganized. Video sessions are a waste if they are ever done. No real strategy is developed to beat the opposition. Grove coaches the same repeatedly. Game plans never change. Players who take bad penalties never sit. Players who consistently turn the ball over never sit. Draw after draw is lost, and nothing is done till maybe second half to change it. Team is getting pounded early on and yet no change to starters. Assistant Coaches are relatively ineffective and very immature. Coaches and support staff have been inappropriate with comments with team members. Grove texting a freshman about what the freshman thought the team should do to improve performance. Assistant coach talking about husbands’ sexual prowess with the team. Assistant coach arriving at practice hung over to the point of throwing up. Assistant Coach showering in the players locker room. Trainer making sexual inappropriate comments to players about their bodies. A strength coach snap chatting sexual inuendo and inappropriate comments to a player. Players making sexuality based inappropriate comments to an opposing team's player with no consequences. Player manhandling a teammate in practice with no consequence. Players mocking team mates to the point mental health becomes a serious concern or the player transfers. Players babysitting or housesitting for Grove. Several players have been ostracized by their classmates to the point of impacting their mental health and Grove does nothing about it. Underage freshmen drinking to the point of blacking out to the point Grove had to come on campus to deal with it. Grove has no regard for alumni, very little done to engage them to want to come back. Alumni who now coach, telling their players to stay away from RMU. "

"Created a hostile team environment and played girls against eachother Coaches have been extremely unprofessional, for example having players babysitting their children, housesitting and just generally having their kids running around the field on a regular basis during practice and games. You just don’t see other reputable programs behaving in this manner. "

"A place that my athlete found a home, a safe place, great friends, a dedicated coaching staff, and academic success. The step away from home to college is an experience that every parent worries about. Will my athlete fit in, will they do well in school, will they excel in their sport, will they accomplish their goals? I can say as a parent my athlete has obtained all of this and more in this experience. Being a D1 athlete is not about just getting on the field, there is so many other things that they have to do to be that D1 athlete. Having a supportive coaching staff, supportive school, and supportive team members all drive success. Anytime my athlete had a question or concern the coaching staff responded immediately, and supported her. Looking forward to what the next year brings. RMU has been a fantastic place for our daughter. "

"Coach Grove and her staff have been the best coaching staff I’ve had. They dedicate themselves completely to the success of the team and improving the culture every day. They are always looking for ways to get better on the field and in the locker room. What I appreciate most is that it’s a coaching staff that believes in real relationships. It takes both the players and coaches being willing to grow and get to know one another, and they truly put effort into that. I love what Coach Grove is doing with the program. Like any D1 program, there are always going to be bumps and changes that need to happen, but they handle everything with grace. I think it’s easy for people to look for someone to blame when they aren’t getting the playing time they think they deserve, but the reality is that at the D1 level everyone is talented and competition is tough. Overall, Coach Grove and her staff genuinely care about the program and the players, and that shows. "

"RMU has been a very positive experience for our daughter and our family. From our perspective Coach Grove and her staff has taken a genuine interest in the well being of our daughter and her teammates. I can't imagine that any team or coach that has to manage 30+ girls and their personalities is perfect, but we have been very pleased with the dedication, passion, and accesibility of the coaching staff. This team had a very large freshman class and it appears that every girl is returning as a sophomore which speaks volumes about the positive culture that has been created at RMU. I feel Coach Grove and her staff care about my daughter and has taken a genuine interest in her well being on and off the field which is very important to me as a parent. Playing time and not always agreeeing with every coaching decision that is made on the field is all part of the "game" and not something as parents we can get overly involved in at this level. The coaching staff is dedicated to their players, has recruited well (4 freshman all-conference players this year), and expects the best of their athletes. "