Penn State Women’s Hockey Forward Tessa Janecke Becomes First Penn Stater To Win Gold Medal At The Winter Olympics
History made in Milan-Cortina, folks.
Penn State women’s hockey forward Tessa Janecke became the first Nittany Lion in history to win the gold medal in the Winter Olympics as Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the gold medal match. The only Penn Stater to medal at the Winter Olympics was Allison Baver, who won the bronze medal in the women’s 3000-meter relay in short-track speed skating as part of the USA’s relay team.
Despite not scoring a goal in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Janecke made a huge impact on Team USA with five assists, tied for the second-most on the team. After she had played with the United States women’s senior national team in the IIHF World Championships and the Rivalry Series against Canada, she became the first Nittany Lion in history to compete for Team USA in the Winter Olympics.
Janecke will now head back to Penn State as the Nittany Lions prepare for postseason play, starting with the AHA Conference Tournament on February 27, after winning their fourth consecutive AHA Conference regular-season title.
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