2026 Winter Olympic Games

By Ross Bishoff

When Joy Dunne was in third grade, she was asked to write out what her dream was. 

She wrote two words: The Olympics.  

That dream became reality for the Ohio State women’s ice hockey star in early January when she was selected to play for Team USA in the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Games.  

Dunne is one of five current players from the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team who will represent their respective countries in the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, beginning Feb. 5. Seven former players from the ice hockey program were also selected to represent five of the 10 ice hockey teams in the Olympics.  

“I was speechless for sure (when selected),” says Dunne, Ohio State’s junior forward and a social work major. “I cried a little bit, I had a meeting with the Lord, then I called my parents. That was extra special. They’re very excited.” 

Excited, no doubt. Surprised? Maybe. Dunne, a junior forward and a social work major, is the youngest of six in a family of hockey stars, and she is one of the best players in the nation on one of its most dominant teams. 

An assistant captain and the points leader for the second-ranked Buckeyes, Dunne was a finalist for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial — the premier women’s hockey award — and a member of the 2024 National Champion and ’25 runner-up teams to go with a slew of accolades in her time as a standout with the Buckeyes.  

“I’ve known Joy since she was 10 years old and she’s worked so hard to get here, she’s elite,” says Ohio State coach Nadine “Muzzy” Muzerall. “I’ve known the Dunne family a long time and when you grow up with five older siblings, you become a little tough.  

“But it’s funny, Joy was surprised to make the team and, it’s like, I’m not.” 

Muzerall also coached Joy’s older sisters Jessica ’18 and Jincy ’19, ’21 MS, both Ohio State alumnae. Jincy was a silver medalist on the 2022 Team USA squad and currently plays for the New York Sirens in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Their brother, Josh Dunne, plays for the Buffalo Sabres as all her siblings play, or played, at top professional or collegiate programs.  

“We’re a very close family and if you took hockey away, we’d still be close,” says Joy, who at 20 will be the youngest player for Team USA. “We love each other regardless of hockey success. That keeps me grounded.”

A program of dominance

Dunne is the lone current player headed to Team USA as Mira Jungåker, Jenna Raunio and Hilda Svensson will play for Team Sweden and Sanni Vanhanen will play for Finland. Vanhanen played for the 2022 Finnish team that took bronze.  

A barrage of former Buckeyes were also selected. Jenn Gardiner, Sophie Jaques, Emma Maltais and Natalie Spooner will play for Team Canada. Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka will play for Team USA. Andrea Braendli will play for Switzerland.   

“It’s surreal,” said Muzerall, who coached 11 of Ohio State’s 12 Olympians.

“I’m excited, I’m nervous. There’s an immense amount of pride. You feel like a parent because you know how hard they’ve worked. It’s all earned.” 

Twelve Olympians is a single winter games high for the women’s ice hockey team, which has had a representative every time since women’s ice hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998.  

Prior to the 2026 games, 11 Buckeyes have made 21 appearances, claiming 12 medals — five golds, three silvers, four bronzes. An Ohio State player has competed for gold at the last four Olympics.  

“It’s super exciting, I’m so honored to play for my country,” said Raunio, a freshman defensive player and sport industry major.  

Raunio said that as an international student, the Ohio State team has been an important support system. “They’ve been my family here since I came here, that’s very important for me as a player and as a person. Everything is just so amazing here at Ohio State, I really love my teammates and coaches.” 

The program has been amazing in Muzerall’s 10-year reign, winning two national titles (2022 and 2024), appearing in six Frozen Fours and earning 10 All-American awards.  

“Muzz has taught us so much,” said Jungåker, a sophomore defender and sport industry major. “Playing for her, you feel prepared for anything. The culture here, it’s an environment where we’re always pushing each other, competing incredibly hard.  

“But off the ice as well, the team culture is really the best I’ve been a part of. This place gives you everything you need to become the best version of yourself. Coming here was the best choice I’ve ever made.”

Crushing it in the classroom, too

Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey team excels in the classroom as well, winning the Varsity O academic award for a large roster team the past four years. The combined GPA of the five current players headed to the Olympics is 3.8. 

“It says a lot about our program and the standards we have,” Jungåker said. “With teammates and coaches, they’re always there to make sure we succeed on the ice and the classroom.” 

Dunne has been a scholar-athlete at Ohio State the past two years. In 2025, she was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) scholar-athlete and member of the All-Academic Team. 

“We take pride in the classroom, that’s the commitment we made when we came here,” Dunne said. “The program here really sets you up for success.” 

And it pays off down the line. Jaques — Ohio State’s lone Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner in 2023 — was the 2022 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year. She earned two degrees through Ohio State’s civil engineering program (2022, ’23 MS).  

“What I loved most about civil (engineering) is how applicable it is to your daily life,” Jaques said in an interview with Olympics.com. “What I’ve learned most from civil engineering is problem-solving and the ability to be adaptable. It carries over into my game; I’m able to stay level-headed and calm, cool and collected."