Ohio
2026 Winter Olympics guide to Ohio State, Ohioan Olympians and how to watch
Ohio State hockey becomes Olympics factory. How Muzerall does it
“When we win … we do it together,” says Nadine Muzerall, who has spent her decade at Ohio State winning a lot. The team has won two regular-season conference titles and two conference tournaments.
The 2026 Winter Olympics have arrived in Milano Cortina already, and the first Ohioans and Ohio State athletes begin play Feb. 5 with women’s hockey group play.
While seven Ohio-born Olympians will compete in this year’s games, the Buckeyes are sending 12 current or former collegiate athletes to compete for multiple countries in women’s hockey.
Besides hockey, four Ohioans will compete in the freestyle skiing aerials events in the men’s, women’s and mixed disciplines.
Here’s your complete guide to Ohio’s Olympians, including viewing options and event dates and times for watching the athletes representing the Buckeye State:
What events feature Ohio State, Ohioan athletes in 2026 Winter Olympics?
Four events will feature Ohioans or Ohio State athletes at the upcoming games in Milano Cortina: men’s and women’s hockey, and men’s and women’s freestyle skiing.
Women’s hockey
Ohio will have a majority of its Olympic representation via Ohio State women’s hockey, including five current Buckeyes who will represent their countries at Milano Cortina. You can read more about these Buckeyes and their path to the Winter Games here.
Ohio State women’s hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Current Ohio State players
- Joy Dunne, United States
- Sanni Vanhanen, Finland (2022 bronze medalist)
- Hilda Svensson, Sweden
- Jenna Raunio, Sweden
- Mira Jungaker, Sweden
Ohio State women’s hockey alumni
- Cayla Barnes, Seattle Torrent (PWHL), United States (Class of 2024, gold medalist in 2018, silver medalist in 2022)
- Hannah Bilka, United States (class of 2024)
- Jenn Gardiner, Canada (class of 2024)
- Sophie Jaques, Canada (class of 2024)
- Emma Maltais, Canada (class of 2023, gold medalist in 2022)
- Natalie Spooner, Canada (class of 2012, four-time Olympian, silver medalist in 2018, gold medalist in 2014, 2022)
- Andrea Braendli, Switzerland (class of 2022, three-time Olympian)
Ohioans competing in women’s hockey
Laila Edwards – Cleveland Heights, Wisconsin women’s hockey
Edwards is a two-time NCAA national champion with Wisconsin. She is sixth in the country in points per game in 2025 and led the NCAA last season in goals with 35.
Edwards is the first black woman to play for the U.S. women’s hockey team and will become the first black woman to play hockey for the U.S. at the Olympics.
Gwyneth Philips – Athens, PWHL Ottawa Charge
Philips was a finalist for PWHL Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year in the 2024-25 season after being selected by the Charge with the 14th draft pick. She also led the league in playoff saves with 257 and was awarded the playoff MVP award despite finishing as a runner-up to the Minnesota Frost in the finals.
Edwards played college hockey at Northeastern and went to high school in Pittsburgh.
Men’s hockey
J.T. Miller, East Palestine, NHL New York Rangers
Miller is a 14-year NHL veteran center who has spent the majority of his career with the New York Rangers. He was drafted No. 15 overall by the Rangers and was traded back to his original team in the 2024-25 season from the Vancouver Canucks. He was named captain before the start of the Rangers’ season and will make his Olympics debut at Milano Cortina.
A Michigan native, Werenski is competing in his first Olympics on the U.S. team. He recorded one goal and five assists at the 2025 IIHF World Championships and helped the U.S. take home their first championship since 1933.
Elvis Merzlinkins, Latvia, Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets goalie has experience in international play with Latvia in world championships from 2016 to 2018. This is his first Olympics.
Freestyle skiing
Kyra Dossa, Cleveland, women’s freestyle aerials
A former gymnast, Dossa converted to a skiier and finished eighth place in her first Freestyle Skiing World Cup appearance in 2024, according to her U.S. Ski and Snowboard profile. She will participate in the aerials category at Milano Cortina.
Connor Curran, Cincinnati, men’s freestyle aerials
Curran, 21, trained on a trampoline and tumbling team in Cincinnati to master flips in aerial skiing before relocating to Lake Placid, New York at age 13 to pursue his Olympic dreams, according to his Team USA profile. He then relocated to Park City, Utah at age 15 to join the city’s ski and snowboard aerials program.
Joining the Freestyle Skiing World Cup in the 2023-24 season, Curran has five career top-six finishes on the circuit. and won his first U.S. national championship in 2025 in Bristol, New York, according to his U.S. Ski and Snowboard profile.
Quinn Dehlinger, Cincinnati, men’s freestyle aerials
Dehlinger began freestyle skiing at age 10 and has been on the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team since 2020, according to his U.S. Ski and Snowboard profile. He won two world championships in 2023 and 2025 as a member of the Aerials mixed team and has four World Cup podium finishes.
Derek Krueger, Chagrin Falls, freestyle aerials
Krueger has been competing for the U.S. Ski Team since 2023; he has seven World Cup top-10 finishes.
When to watch Ohio State, Ohioan athletes compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics | TV and streaming info
Below are the schedules for the events in which Ohioan athletes will appear in for the Winter Games (all times in Eastern time).
All Olympic events listed below are available to stream on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. Games airing on national television will be noted with the channel below.
Bolded hockey teams include any of the players mentioned above.
Feb. 5
- Women’s hockey – group stage
- Sweden vs. Germany – 6:10 a.m.
- United States vs. Czechia – 10:40 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 5:30 p.m.)
- Canada vs. Finland – 3:10 p.m.
Feb. 6
- Women’s hockey – group stage
- Czechia vs. Switzerland – 8:40 a.m.
Feb. 7
- Women’s hockey – group stage
- Sweden vs. Italy – 8:40 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (only at 9 p.m.)
- United States vs. Finland – 10:40 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 6 p.m., 11 p.m.)
- Switzerland vs. Canada – 3:10 p.m.
- Sweden vs. Italy – 8:40 a.m.
Feb. 8
- Women’s hockey – group stage
- France vs. Sweden – 10:40 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (only at 8:30 p.m.)
- Czechia vs. Finland – 3:10 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (only at 5 p.m.)
- France vs. Sweden – 10:40 a.m.
Feb. 9
- Women’s hockey – group stage
- United States vs. Switzerland – 2:40 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 11 p.m.)
- Canada vs. Czechia – 3:10 p.m.
- TV USA Network (only at 5 p.m.)
- United States vs. Switzerland – 2:40 p.m.
Feb. 10
- Women’s hockey – group stage
- Japan vs. Sweden – 6:10 a.m.
- United States vs. Canada – 2:10 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 11 p.m.)
- Finland vs. Switzerland – 3:10 p.m.
Feb 12
- Men’s hockey – group stage
- United States vs. Latvia – 3:10 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 11 p.m.)
- United States vs. Latvia – 3:10 p.m.
Feb. 13
- Women’s hockey quarterfinals (Teams TBD)
- 10:40 a.m., (Peacock) 3:10 p.m. (USA Network)
Feb. 14
- Women’s hockey quarterfinals (teams TBD)
- 10:40 a.m. (CNBC), 3:10 p.m. (CNBC)
- Men’s hockey – group stage
- Germany vs. Latvia – 6 a.m.
- United States vs. Denmark – 3:10 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 11 p.m.)
Feb. 15
- Men’s hockey – group stage
- Denmark vs. Latvia – 1:10 p.m.
- United States vs. Germany – 3:10 p.m.
Feb. 16
- Women’s hockey semifinals (teams TBD)
- 10:40 a.m. (NBC), 3:10 p.m. (USA Network)
Feb. 17
- Men’s hockey – playoff (teams TBD)
- 6:10 a.m. (2), 10:40 a.m., 3:10 p.m
- Women’s and men’s aerials qualifying
- Women’s – 4:45 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 6:15 p.m.)
- Men’s – 7:30 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 7 p.m.)
- TV: men’s and women’s on NBC at 12 p.m.
- Women’s – 4:45 a.m.
Feb. 18
- Men’s hockey – quarterfinal (teams TBD)
- 6:10 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 3:10 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (10:40 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m.), NBC (3:10 p.m.)
- Women’s aerials final – 5:30 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 4:30 p.m.), NBC at 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 19
- Women’s hockey bronze, gold medal matches
- Bronze medal match – 8:40 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (12 p.m., re-airs at 10 p.m.)
- Gold medal match – 1:10 p.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 11 p.m.)
- Bronze medal match – 8:40 a.m.
- Men’s aerials final – 5:30 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (NBC at 12 p.m.)
Feb 20
- Men’s hockey – semifinals
- 10:40 a.m. (USA Network at 11:50 a.m., re-airs at 6 p.m.), 3:10 p.m. (NBC, re-airs at 11p.m. on USA Network)
Feb 21
- Mens’ hockey – bronze medal match (teams TBD)
- 2:40 p.m. (USA Network, re-airs at 7 p.m. on CNBC, 11 p.m. on USA Network)
- Mixed team aerials final – 4:45 a.m.
- TV: USA Network (re-airs at 12:15 p.m.), NBC at 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 22
- Men’s hockey – gold medal match (teams TBD)
- 8:10 a.m. (NBC, re-airs at 4:30 p.m. on USA Network)
Ohio
2 arrested at Ohio State pro-Israel event featuring IDF soldiers
Demonstrators gather at Ohio State to protest Israel-Hamas war
Several student and community groups attend a demonstration at Ohio State University Wednesday evening protesting the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Two individuals were arrested on Ohio State University’s campus April 14 during an event held by a pro-Israel student organization, the university confirmed.
The event, which was hosted at the Ohio Union by the OSU chapter of Students Supporting Israel, was part of the “Triggered: From Combat to Campus” speaking tour. The tour features Israeli Defense Forces soldiers “sharing firsthand stories from October 7th and beyond,” according to Students Supporting Israel’s website.
“The name plays on the irony of campus outrage, where many students were ‘triggered’ not by Hamas’ terror, but by Israel’s defense,” according to the website.
Two IDF soldiers were scheduled to speak at the event, held at 6 p.m. inside the Ohio Union.
In response to the event, Students for Justice in Palestine, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at OSU and Law Students for Justice in Palestine at Ohio State Moritz College of Law scheduled a protest.
“We vehemently oppose any attempts to commemorate or honor war criminals, in addition to any acts of normalization with the zionist entity,” an Instagram post about the protest read. “We will not stand by and allow them to be welcomed onto our campus.”
It was at this protest that two individuals were arrested, Ohio State spokesperson Dan Hedman said in a statement.
“Following multiple warnings, two individuals were arrested for criminal trespass after disrupting a scheduled event inside the Ohio Union and violating university space standards,” Hedman said.
Whether the arrested individuals are affiliated with Ohio State was not immediately available.
In 2024, more than 40 people were arrested on Ohio State’s campus during a string of anti-Israel protests in the days leading up to spring commencement. About half of those arrested individuals were affiliated with the university.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is available.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
Ohio
‘Little Rascals’ star Bug Hall arrested in Ohio
Brandon “Bug” Hall was arrested in Ohio and charged with failure to appear for a court date from more than a year ago.
The “Little Rascals” actor, best known for playing Alfalfa Switzer in the 1994 cult classic, did not appear in court in December 2024, according to records obtained by TMZ.
Hall, 41, was previously given a traffic citation on Oct. 29, 2024, for not having liability insurance.
Page Six has reached out to Hall for comment but did not immediately hear back.
A few years ago, the “Stupids” star had another run-in with the law.
In 2020, he was arrested in Texas for huffing air duster cans.
At the time, a 911 caller claimed Hall may have overdosed after spotting him huffing by a hotel dumpster. When the police arrived, they discovered the “Get a Clue” actor in his hotel room surrounded by cans.
Upon an investigation, Hall was arrested for misdemeanor possession for use to inhale or ingest a volatile chemical.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Hall — who identifies as “a radical Catholic extremist” — moved his wife, Jill DeGroff, and their five children to a small area near Mountain Home, Arkansas, after giving up Hollywood to take “a vow of poverty.”
In accordance with his religious commitment, Hall told the Daily Mail in January that he donated all of his savings along with the majority of his material items to “maintain a life as free of any need for an income as possible.”
Page Six reported that the “Big Green” star and his family resided in a campervan with a water well and a generator.
Hall plans to go totally off-the-grid and build his family a house with its own hydro-electrical dam, as well as plumbing and electrical systems.
Ohio
Ohio State’s Chance Gray selected in second round of WNBA draft
Ohio State guard Chance Gray became the 24th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, with the Los Angeles Sparks selecting her in the second round on April 13.
Gray, a Cincinnati native, joined the Buckeyes from Oregon ahead of the 2024-25 season and averaged 13.4 points and shot 42.8% from the field during her two years at Ohio State.
In her final Big Ten Tournament, Gray’s offensive production improved to 18 points per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Gray earned all-tournament team honors despite Ohio State being eliminated in the semifinals by UCLA.
Gray is the 21st Buckeye to hear her name called across 30 editions of the WNBA draft. Ohio State has had a player selected in the past four years. There are three Ohio State graduates on WNBA rosters − Kelsey Mitchell, Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Thierry.
Cotie McMahon selected in first round of WNBA Draft
Former Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon was selected with the 11th pick in the first round by the Washington Mystics.
McMahon spent three seasons at Ohio State before transferring in the 2025 offseasonto Ole Miss, where she averaged a team-leading 16.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.
bmackay@dispatch.com
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