Colonials honor McLaughlin with arena banner

Robert Morris held a special ceremony to honor former Colonials women’s hockey goaltender and United States Olympian Brianne McLaughlin Saturday evening at the RMU Island Sports Center.

The ceremony included remarks from Robert Morris president Dr. Gregory Dell’Omo, Robert Morris athletic director Dr. Craig Coleman and Robert Morris associate athletic director Marty Galosi that highlighted and paid tribute to McLaughlin’s extensive list of accomplishments, both academic and athletic, before culminating with the unfurling of a 14′ by 8′ banner that will permanently hang in the arena.

“The Olympics were not Brianne’s only achievement,” Dell’Omo said in a news release. “Brianne set the NCAA’s record for saves while studying nursing at Robert Morris, one of our most demanding programs for the time it requires in clinical training. After the Olympics, she returned to Robert Morris to complete her degree. In short, Brianne was a scholar-athlete in the truest sense of the word, and a role model for students, faculty and staff – someone who exemplified our core values and our mission to change lives.”

McLaughlin joined the RMU staff as a volunteer assistant coach this past July.

The distinct banner was designed by Jeff Symonds, a former member of the Robert Morris sports information staff.