Senior forward Tessa Janecke was named to Team USA’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Janecke will be the first Nittany Lion in program history to compete for Team USA in the Olympics and the second Olympian overall. Jessica Adolfsson, a 2021 graduate, played for Sweden in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Janecke will enter the Olympics with international experience. She has played with the United States women’s senior national team in the IIHF World Championships and the Rivalry Series against Canada, scoring the overtime-clinching goal at the World Championships.

Janecke is in the middle of her senior year at Penn State, where she has tallied 11 goals and 16 assists. She has cemented herself in program history as the program’s all-time leader in career points with 180 points in 131 games. Her 74 goals are tied for the most in program history with Natalie Heising, and her 106 assists are also a program record.

The women’s ice hockey portion of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games begins February 5 with the United States starting off against Czechia at 10:40 a.m. ET. The U.S. is in Group A with Canada, Czechia, Finland, and Switzerland.

About the Author

Ella Wehmeyer

Ella is an junior and Telecommunications major from Miami, FL serving as one of Onward State's visual editors. She enjoys taking photos, listening to all genres of music, and a good hockey game. If needed, you can contact her through email at [email protected] or on Twitter @ellawehm

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