Four Pennsylvania athletes — including a Penn Stater — return with 2026 Olympic medals
Three Pennsylvanians and a Penn State senior are heading home from Milan this week with Olympic medals to their name.
Two women’s and one men’s hockey player nabbed gold medals in historic runs for Team USA. A fourth Pennsylvanian Olympian earned bronze in the two-woman bobsleigh.
All four of Pennsylvania’s medalists made their Olympic debuts this year.
Tessa Janecke, women’s ice hockey
Tessa Janecke, the 21-year-old captain of Penn State’s hockey team, earned gold alongside Team USA’s women’s hockey team in her Olympic debut. The Illinois native nabbed five assists during her run in Milan, including one against eventual gold medal game opponent Canada.
Janecke has scored 82 career goals as a forward for the Nittany Lions, the most of any Penn State player. She is slated to appear in postseason play.
Three other Penn Staters — freshman Matilde Fantin of Italy, sophomore Nicole Hall of Sweden and 2021 graduate Jessica Adolfsson of Sweden — competed in the Olympic women’s hockey tournament. Italy was shut out by the U.S. in the quarterfinals, while Sweden was shut out by Team USA in the semifinals.
Ava McNaughton, women’s ice hockey
Ava McNaughton, a 21-year-old goaltender from Butler County, also earned gold with Team USA’s women’s hockey team in her Olympic debut.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison junior was third string in Milan, but recorded one save against Switzerland in a preliminary game. Team USA shut out Switzerland 5–0.
Vincent Trocheck, men’s ice hockey
Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck earned gold with Team USA’s men’s hockey team in his Olympic debut. The 32-year-old New York Rangers center was a part of a penalty kill unit that blocked 18 out of 18 penalty attempts against Team USA in Milan on the way to a stunner against Canada.
Trocheck also notched three assists and went viral for a colorful quip about his postgame activities.
Jasmine Jones, two-woman bobsleigh
Jasmine Jones of Westmoreland County made her Olympic debut with a bronze medal in the two-woman bobsleigh. The duo of Jones and Canadian-American Olympic veteran Kaillie Humphries finished their event with a total time of 3:49.21, fractions of a second behind two German duos.
A high school and college track star, Jones only picked up bobsleigh after being scouted during her senior year at Eastern Michigan University in 2018. She serves in the U.S. Air Force.
Dan Barefoot, a 2013 Penn State grad and Johnstown native, also competed in sledding events in Milan. He placed 10th in the mixed team skeleton competition and 20th in the individual skeleton competition.
