The Wisconsin Badgers are one of the top NCAA teams represented in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milano-Cortina will play host to 12 winter athletes from the University of Wisconsin. All 12 have one thing in common, and it may not surprise anyone: women's hockey. Every player either does or has played for Wisconsin women's hockey.
Only six of those 12 are playing for the USA team, and the other six are mostly representing Canada; there's one that's skating for the Czech Republic. Here's a list of the players:
Wisconsin Athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics
Athlete Name | Olympic Sport | Wisconsin Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
Adéla Šapovalivová | Ice Hockey | Freshman | Czech Republic |
Ann-Renée Desbiens | Ice Hockey | 2016 | Canada |
Ava McNaughton | Ice Hockey | Junior | USA |
Blayre Turnbull | Ice Hockey | 2015 | Canada |
Britta Curl-Salemme | Ice Hockey | 2024 | USA |
Caroline Harvey | Ice Hockey | Senior | USA |
Daryl Watts | Ice Hockey | 2022 | Canada |
Emily Clark | Ice Hockey | 2019 | Canada |
Hilary Knight | Ice Hockey | 2012 | USA |
Kirsten Simms | Ice Hockey | Senior | USA |
Laila Edwards | Ice Hockey | Senior | USA |
Sarah Nurse | Ice Hockey | 2017 | Canada |
If this list doesn't show you how dominant Wisconsin women's hockey has been for a long time, then nothing will. You can see players still competing in the Olympics all the way back from 2012, with Hilary Knight, the most decorated and experienced women's hockey Olympian in the field. There are also current players, even as young as a true freshman, in Adéla Šapovalivová. Wisconsin women's hockey is the best collegiate program in the world.
The University of Wisconsin is the most represented university in women's ice hockey in the 2026 Winter Olympics. It's also tied for second in the number of universities represented on the Team USA roster. Minnesota has the most with seven athletes. Boston College and Wisconsin both have six, followed by Boston University with five. Michigan and Northeastern both have four athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Wisconsin also has the most athletes on Team Canada, with five. While you will only get to watch the Wisconsin Badgers in one sport, women's ice hockey, they've absolutely smothered the field with Badgers.
The Olympics start next week, with it officially starting on February 6th, but some preliminary matches will be held beforehand. Team USA will face-off against Czech Republic on Feruary 5th at 9:40 a.m. CT. Team Canada vs. Finland will take place after the USA vs. Czech match. All matches will stream on either Peacock, NBC Sports, or Olympics.com.