As the Winter Olympics get ready to kick off on Thursday, February 3, Penn State is once again ready to send a handful of its best and brightest to the national stage.

A mix of four Penn State student-athletes, coaches, and former stars will head to Beijing to compete in this year’s games. Before things get officially underway, here’s a quick look at who’s competing and how you can root for ’em.

Jessica Adolfsson

Linkoping, Sweden native Jessica Adolfsson will represent Team Sweden at this year’s games. Adolfsson is a former Penn State women’s hockey player who graduated in 2021. At 5’9″, Adolfsson was a defender at Penn State for three seasons. She became the second Nittany Lion defender to earn first-team All-CHA honors during the 2020-21 season.

Adolfsson was Penn State women’s hockey’s first-ever student-athlete representative in the Olympics after she was named to the roster on Wednesday, January 19. Adolfsson will play her first game when the Swedes take on Japan at 3:40 a.m. on Thursday, February 3.

More significantly, Adolfsson is the first Nittany Lion alumna to earn a spot on an Olympic roster. She and Team Sweden will begin their quest for a gold medal against Japan at 3:40 a.m. EST on Tuesday, February 3.

Allison Coomey

Penn State women’s hockey assistant coach Allison Coomey will serve as a coach for Team USA during this year’s games.

Coomey is a team scout for Team USA in its quest to win gold. Her team’s first game will be against Finland at 8:10 a.m. EST on Thursday, February 3.

Alex Dawes

Penn State men’s hockey director of operations Alex Dawes will also serve as a coach for this year’s Olympics while representing Team USA men’s hockey.

Dewes is the video coach for Team USA. His team will begin the Olympics with a game against China at 8:10 a.m EST on Thursday, February 10.

Kaitlin Hawayek

Penn State even has current students competing this year. World Campus student Kaitlin Hawayek will compete for Team USA along with partner Jean-Luc Baker in ice dance.

Hawayek is competing in the Olympics for the first time after serving as an alternate for the 2018 games. The prelims for ice dance will begin with rhythm dance at 10:35 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 3, while free dance is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 6.