Penn State's Tessa Janecke Makes Childhood Olympic Dream Come True

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

That was the question posed to a young Tessa Janecke one day in elementary school. The now 21-year-old doesn’t remember exactly what she wrote but it was something to the tune of “I want to be an Olympian” followed by a drawing of a hockey stick.

The Illinois native grew up around an hour away from the University of Wisconsin. She attended games for both the men’s and women’s teams but recalled attending more of the women’s games. There she was able to watch the Badgers Olympians on the ice. That’s where the dream began.

On the final day of 2025, Janecke received the call that she had made Team USA’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“It is something I've been working for my whole life,” Janecke told The Ice Garden days before traveling to attend the Winter Olympics. “I get to see something I wrote down when I was even younger than 10 come into fruition and actually come true…it's very full circle.”

Janecke talked to The Ice Garden about finding out she was an Olympian, how Penn State has helped her development, and what it's like for a college player to have to juggle school and hockey on the Olympic stage.

On Dec. 31, 2025 Janecke received the call she had been anticipating. She was hoping to hear the words that she had made the U.S’ Olympic team. Her reaction to hearing she had done so was more of relief for finally having her dream come true but also excitement.

“It was actually becoming real and it wasn't like we were trying out all the time,” Janecke said of making the team. “Them saying it actually made it feel real.”

Her parents had heartwarming reactions. Janecke called her mom who cried and her dad who gave her a quick “congrats” and then started talking about something else which Janecke found funny. “Short and sweet” is how she described the call with her dad.

Her teammates weren’t surprised by the news. They described Janecke as someone who always takes advantage of opportunities she earns to play and someone who has an impressive work ethic.

Sophomore forward McKenna Walsh said that aspect is what separates Janecke from other players.

“Everyone knows she's a very talented player and you can [only] get away with talent for so long,” Walsh said. “What made her so big and able to separate herself is her work ethic. In practice, if you beat her in one drill, she's coming at you in the next drill, she's going to beat you the next drill. Her work ethic drives her and helped her make the Olympic team.”

Her drive is another element of her game that sticks out to her teammates. Fellow senior forward Katelyn Roberts, who has known Janecke since they played U 18s together, mentioned the mindset Janecke has that she believes has led to Janecke’s success.

“We have a phrase on our team that's been used a couple of times, [that] you can love to win, but you gotta hate to lose. Tessa hates to lose,” Roberts explained. “Everything she does carries off the ice sometimes. That's the type of player you have to be to be successful at the next level. [It’s] to quite honestly live by this feeling of hating to lose… she's very precise and she genuinely hates to lose.”

In the weeks since finding out she had made the team Janecke said she was focused on finishing strong with Penn State, staying healthy, and staying consistent with all aspects of her game including in her recovery too. 

The Penn State senior has had an illustrious career both collegiately and internationally. Janecke is in her final year with the Nittany Lions where she is a two-time captain, has appeared in 140 games and has recorded 193 points. She has the most career points in program history along with the most goals, and she was the first member to reach 100 career assists.

She also won the HCA and USCHO Rookie of the Year award after her first season and won the AHA Player of the Year in the 2023-24 and 24-25 seasons while also adding AHA Forward of the Year last season. While also being named a two-time Patty Kazmaier Award finalist.

The Nittany Lions are currently having one of their best seasons with a 26-4 record, a 19-1 AHA conference record, and a 16 game win streak to start the season that was snapped in late November.

Janecke said she was drawn to Penn State because of their hockey program with a long history but she also wanted to make the program her own and rewrite its history and set out to make it a national contender. The Nittany Lions have won five straight CHA/AHA regular season titles, all four in Janecke’s time with the program, and have appeared in the last three NCAA tournaments. Continuing the tradition of winning at Penn State is something Janecke said she set out to do when she joined the team. Becoming the first Nittany Lion to be an Olympian for Team USA is another accolade in Janecke’s college career. She credited the program for helping her develop into the player she is.

“Staying here made me an even better player than I would have been if I went to one of those schools. I'm not playing around some of my national team teammates all year round,” Janecke explained about choosing to stay with Penn State through her four seasons of college hockey. “So having to go through that hardship and having teams… knowing they have to go after you to stop your team, that has made me a much stronger player in all zones. It has elevated my game. I don't think it would have happened if I went to a top school that just has a great history of hockey and Olympians.”

While her own game has grown over the last few seasons, Janecke’s skills have helped push her teammates around her to better their game as well. Walsh said in the almost two seasons she’s been on the team with Janecke, she’s learned a lot from her captain.

“The way that she sees the ice kind of changes my perspective of how I see the ice,” Walsh explained. “She opened my eyes to looking at plays differently and looking at certain situations differently and going into puck battles or going into the slot and knowing that there's different options. It's not always shoot or make this pass. There's different options, different ways you can go about it.”

Even though she’s helped players around her grow, Janecke added she’s seen her defensive game grow too while at PSU which has helped her become a good 200 foot player. Her ability to be a defensive offensive player is something she said would not have come naturally for her if not for playing with this specific program.

Roberts echoed Janecke’s sentiments of how much her defensive game has developed over her time at school.

“She's one of the best two-way players that I've ever seen. For her to have that offensive ability, but then also to be able to back it up with her being our leading penalty killer is huge,” Roberts said. “A lot of the top players in the NCAA are super offensive focused, but sometimes lack the defensive element that takes them out of the play on the defensive end and she's one of our best shot blockers, one of our best centers in the corner on both ends of the ice. She's a force and is truly one of the most impactful players in any game that she'll play in, even at the national level, which is something that very few people will achieve.”

When Janecke joins the U.S. team in Italy, she will be one of seven college players on the team with the rest being current PWHL players. Yet, she’s familiar with everyone on the squad.

Janecke made her senior national team debut in 2022 and appeared in her first IIHF Women’s World Championship in 2023 where she finished with six points in seven games en route to winning gold. That year she also appeared in the Rivalry Series with the Americans where she played in four games. Janecke won a silver medal at the 2024 Women’s Worlds and scored the golden goal in the 2025 edition beating Canada in overtime for her second gold medal on the international stage. 

Having that familiarity with the senior national team in her early 20s has helped Janecke as she prepares for her first Olympics. The veteran players have been helpful by sharing packing lists, what to expect during the event, and information about how much the Winter Games differ to Worlds such as not having as much family time in Italy as the team has had at Worlds in the past. 

“They've been very open about experiences and very helpful with us throughout it all,” Janecke said. "It'll be good to get to fly over there together, all on the same flight, because that usually doesn't happen either for the world championship.”

The Nittany Lions are in a good spot both in the standings in the AHA and the NCAA. They are currently fourth in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) which will be used to select and rank teams for the NCAA Tournament this year. Janecke is still a college student and is grateful there are fellow college players on the American team with her. She admitted they will understand trying to juggle the Olympics and schoolwork at the same time. But she’s confident that if any of them find themselves struggling, they will help each other out. 

“I would definitely much rather focus on hockey, but I am grateful that I actually got the opportunity to be able to do it at this young age where I'm still in college,” Janecke said of her unique Olympics scenario with school. “It's a give and take kind of situation. But it's going to be a great experience regardless.”

And no, being an Olympian does not get you out of group projects no matter what. Janecke added her professors and classmates have always been understanding and she isn’t worried about managing that aspect of her school work.

Milan, Italy will have two arenas that will host women’s hockey at the Olympic Games. Team USA arrived on Jan. 31 to prepare before the preliminary round begins on Feb. 5. Aside from being excited for the Games and handling school responsibilities, Janecke is also looking forward to trying authentic Italian food and hopes to be able to see other Olympic events while she’s in Italy. She wants to support other Olympians and hopes to see speed skating and figure skating events if possible.

Janecke is excited to be with her USA teammates when she arrives in Italy because she knows it will calm her nerves and that her teammates will help guide the first time Olympians throughout the Games.

Getting to this part of her career, an event she has never played in is scary but exciting Janecke admitted. When asked what she would tell her younger self – the one who had hopes of one day becoming an Olympian – she admitted she wouldn’t want to spoil that little Tessa will accomplish her dream over a decade later. But Janecke also wanted to emphasize to her younger self that she’s heading in the right direction.

“Every path I've chosen has been the right one. So keep working and believing in yourself, even if no one knows who you are, that's not the point of it all.” Janecke reflected. “Your success and attention will come from being who you are as a player and person. Don't change for anyone.”