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 13 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?
Five events will feature Ohioans or Ohio State athletes at the upcoming games in Milano Cortina: men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s freestyle skiing, and men’s snowboarding.
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
Ohio State women’s hockey alumni
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.
Zach Werenski, United States, Columbus Blue Jackets
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.
Louie Vito, Columbus, OH, halfpipe snowboarding
Vito is set to be a three-time Olympian and the oldest halfpipe snowboarder to ever compete at the Winter Games, according to WMFD. He’s a four-time U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix champion and will compete for Italy at this year’s games.
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
Feb. 6
Feb. 7
Feb. 8
Feb. 9
Feb. 10
Feb. 11
Feb 12
Feb. 13
Feb. 14
Feb. 15
Feb. 16
Feb. 17
Feb. 18
Feb. 19
Feb 20
Feb 21
Feb. 22
Note: this story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2026 Winter Olympics guide to Ohio State, Ohioan Olympians and how to watch
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
