BATON ROUGE – After leading the Tigers back into the NCAA Tournament in their final season in 2015, seniors Lexi Gibbs, Natalia Gomez-Junco, Mariel McLaughlin and Catalina Rubiano ended their careers as college graduates after taking part in Friday’s commencement exercises at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and Carl Maddox Field House.
Gomez-Junco kicked off the morning by walking in the ceremony for the College of Engineering when she received her degree in civil engineering, while Gibbs (interdisciplinary studies) and Rubiano (sociology) walked before lunch time also at the PMAC in the ceremony held or the College of Humanities & Social Sciences.
McLaughlin, who was recently accepted into the University of Florida Medical School, was the last to graduate when as she received her biology degree at the Maddox Field House with the College of Science.
Theirs was a decorated senior season on the field for the Tigers in 2015 as they helped lead the Tigers back into postseason play with a run to the SEC Tournament semifinals before an appearance in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament this fall. The Tigers posted a 13-6-4 overall record with a 5-4-2 mark and 17 points for seventh place in SEC play this season.
Gomez-Junco was certainly a catalyst on the field as one of the team’s two captains as she wrapped up her career as a First-Team All-South Region performer by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America last month. She was also selected a member of the SEC All-Tournament Team while helping the Tigers reach the SEC Tournament semifinals in Orange Beach, while also being honored as an SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 21 and a member of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s National Team of the Week on Sept. 22 for her efforts during the season.
Gomez-Junco has also been recognized for her performance in the classroom and in the community this fall as a member of the NSCAA NCAA Division I Women’s Scholar All-South Region Second Team and a candidate on the SEC Community Service Team as a true team leader on and off the field in 2015.
Gomez-Junco scored five goals and dished out a team-leading seven assists for 17 points as one of the top Tigers this fall, while also finishing her career with nine goals and 11 assists in two seasons at LSU.
McLaughlin is the second member of her family to graduate from LSU after representing the Tigers on the soccer field during her stay in Baton Rouge. She received the honor on Friday of graduating as a University Medalist while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during her collegiate career with the Tigers.
The Cocoa Beach, Florida, native played three seasons for LSU and graduated Friday with her degree in biology which she will soon take with her to medical school at the University of Florida. Her sister, Nicole, graduated from the program with her degree in kinesiology in May 2014.
Rubiano started all 23 matches in goal for the Tigers this fall as she ended her senior season with a 1.21 goals against average and a career-high 88 saves while posting six clean sheets in 2015. She started all 30 games in which she appeared for the Tigers over the last two seasons, posting a 1.43 goals against average for her career in nearly 2,642 minutes of game time in 2014 and 2015.
A native of nearby Prairieville, Louisiana, Gibbs made a career high 21 appearances for the Tigers this fall while scoring one goal and serving up a career-high three assists on the campaign as a key member of the attack that led the Tigers back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2011 season. Gibbs scored four goals with four assists for 12 points while making 49 career appearances for the Tigers.