A total of 58 athletes will compete for eight nations in Italy
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Fifty-eight athletes with ties to the Big Ten Conference have qualified for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. The Big Ten group consists of active student-athletes, alumni, and non-sport students. In addition, the conference will have individuals serving in coaching and administrative roles.
The Big Ten has placed 31 athletes on Team USA and 27 athletes will compete internationally for Canada, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. The majority of athletes (81 percent) will compete in ice hockey with the women’s tournament featuring 38 players. All told, Big Ten athletes are expected to participate in six different sports.
Eleven Big Ten institutions will have representation at the Games with Minnesota (16), Ohio State (13) and Wisconsin (12) leading the way.
Milano Cortina 2026 officially runs February 6-22 with preliminaries for some sports having started on Wednesday. NBCUniversal will provide broadcast and streaming coverage on NBC, USA Network, CNBC and Peacock.
Get closer to the action – Follow @bigten on your favorite social platforms and look for updates on BigTen.org.
2026 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM
|
NAME |
SCHOOL |
YEARS |
OLYMPIC SPORT |
|
Sarah Warren |
Illinois |
2014-19 (soccer) |
Speed Skating |
|
Evan Bates |
Michigan |
2007-13 (student) |
Ice Dancing |
|
Kyle Connor |
Michigan |
2015-16 |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Quinn Hughes |
Michigan |
2017-19 |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Dylan Larkin |
Michigan |
2014-15 |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Zach Werenski |
Michigan |
2014-16 |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Taylor Anderson-Heide |
Minnesota |
n/a |
Curling |
|
Danny Casper |
Minnesota |
2019-2024 |
Curling |
|
Brock Faber |
Minnesota |
2020-23 |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Taylor Heise |
Minnesota |
2018-23 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Jackson LaCombe |
Minnesota |
2019-23 |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Abbey Murphy |
Minnesota |
2020-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Kelly Pannek |
Minnesota |
2014-19 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Tabitha Peterson Lovick |
Minnesota |
2011-15 |
Curling |
|
Tara Peterson |
Minnesota |
2014-18 |
Curling |
|
Lee Stecklein |
Minnesota |
2012-17 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Grace Zumwinkle |
Minnesota |
2017-23 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Cayla Barnes |
Ohio State |
2023-24 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Hannah Bilka |
Ohio State |
2023-24 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Joy Dunne |
Ohio State |
2023-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Tessa Janecke |
Penn State |
2022-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Alysa Liu |
UCLA |
2023-present (student) |
Figure Skating |
|
Carsten Vissering |
USC |
2015-19 (swimming) |
Bobsled |
|
Anna Gibson |
Washington |
2018-23 (track & field) |
Ski Mountaineering |
|
Luc Violette |
Washington |
2017-21 (student) |
Curling |
|
Britta Curl-Salemme |
Wisconsin |
2918-24 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Laila Edwards |
Wisconsin |
2022-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Caroline Harvey |
Wisconsin |
2022-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Hilary Knight |
Wisconsin |
2007-12 |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Ava McNaughton |
Wisconsin |
2023-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Kirsten Simms |
Wisconsin |
2022-present |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
2026 INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIANS
|
NAME |
SCHOOL |
YEARS |
COUNTRY |
OLYMPIC SPORT |
|
Dustin Gazley |
Michigan State |
2007-11 |
Italy |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Wojciech Stachoviak |
Michigan State |
2018-19 |
Germany |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Josefin Bouveng |
Minnesota |
2022-present |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Erik Haula |
Minnesota |
2010-13 |
Finland |
Men’s Ice Hockey |
|
Nelli Laitinen |
Minnesota |
2022-present |
Finland |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Natálie Mlýnková |
Minnesota |
2024-25 |
Czechia |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Tereza Plosová |
Minnesota |
2025-present |
Czechia |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson |
Northwestern |
2018-22 (diving) |
Canada |
Bobsled |
|
Andrea Brändli |
Ohio State |
2018-22 |
Switzerland |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Jennifer Gardiner |
Ohio State |
2019-24 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Sophie Jaques |
Ohio State |
2018-23 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Mira Jungåker |
Ohio State |
2024-present |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Sofie Lundin |
Ohio State |
2022-23 |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Emma Maltais |
Ohio State |
2017-21 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Jenna Raunio |
Ohio State |
2025-present |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Natalie Spooner |
Ohio State |
2008-12 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Hilda Svensson |
Ohio State |
2025-present |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Sanni Vanhanen |
Ohio State |
2025-present |
Finland |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Jessica Adolfsson |
Penn State |
2018-21 |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Matilde Fantin |
Penn State |
2025-present |
Italy |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Nicole Hall |
Penn State |
2024-present |
Sweden |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Emily Clark |
Wisconsin |
2014-19 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Ann-Renée Desbiens |
Wisconsin |
2013-17 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Sarah Nurse |
Wisconsin |
2013-17 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Adéla Šapovalivová |
Wisconsin |
2025-present |
Czechia |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Blayre Turnbull |
Wisconsin |
2011-15 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Daryl Watts |
Wisconsin |
2019-22 |
Canada |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
COACHES/ADMINISTRATORS
|
NAME |
SCHOOL |
COUNTRY |
ROLE |
OLYMPIC SPORT |
|
Cal Dietz |
Minnesota |
United States |
Strength & Conditioning |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Stefanie Arndt |
Wisconsin |
United States |
Athletic Trainer |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Cyndy Kenyon |
Wisconsin 2004-06 (athlete) |
Switzerland |
Assistant Coach |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Carla MacLeod |
Wisconsin 2001-05 (athlete) |
Czechia |
Head Coach |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
|
Sis Paulsen |
Wisconsin |
United States |
Equipment Manager |
Women’s Ice Hockey |
