(LEBANON, Ill., April 22)—McKendree University senior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) picked up another post-season honor on Wednesday as the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) released its State Farm Coaches' NAIA All-America teams for the 2008-09 season.

Palm was one of 10 players honored with first-team honors in NAIA Division I. For the season, Palm averaged 20.6 points and shot 85.2 percent from the free throw line. Palm finished his McKendree career with 2,066 points, which is fifth on the team's all-time scoring list. He has been named the American Midwest Conference Player of the Year in each of the last two years, and he is a two-time NAIA Division I first-team All-America honoree.

In addition to his 2008-09 numbers, Palm led the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship in scoring. In three games at the national tournament in Kansas City, Palm averaged 28 points per outing.

The McKendree University men's basketball team finished the 2008-09 season with an overall record of 30-6. It marked the sixth time in the history of the program that the Bearcats reached the 30-win mark in a season. McKendree reached the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship last month.

2009 State Farm Coaches' NAIA Division I All-America First Team

Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem), McKendree University (Senior, Guard, Machesney Park, Ill.)

Chris Berry, Texas Wesleyan University (Senior, Forward, Dallas, Texas)

Luke Fitzgerald, University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) (Senior, Forward, Platte City, Mo.)

Brent Jones, Oklahoma Baptist University (Senior, Guard, Toledo, Ohio)

Andrew Lee, Mountain State University (W.Va.) (Junior, Forward, Laplata, Md.)

James Lewis, Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) (Junior, Guard, Los Angeles, Calif.)

Matt Neaville, Union University (Tenn.) (Senior, Guard, Urbana, Ill.)
Geoff Payne, Westminster College (Utah) (Senior, Forward, Sandy, Utah)

Jason Taylor, Oklahoma Christian University (Junior, Center, Edmond, Okla.)

-McK-