All-American. Olympic Gold Medalist.
Penn State Sportsperson Of The Year.
While it may not be as prestigious, it’s another award for Penn State women’s hockey captain Tessa Janecke.
She has been named the 2025-26 Stuff Somers Says With Steve Penn State Sportsperson Of The Year.
Janecke elevated the status of women’s ice hockey at Penn State, completing the best four-year career of any Nittany Lion ice hockey player – male or female – by guiding the team to its first-ever Frozen Four appearance in 2025-26.
That appearance came just a few weeks after Janecke became the first Penn State student-athlete to win Winter Olympics gold as a part of the U.S. Women’s Olympic ice hockey team in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. While playing with the national team, Janecke recorded five assists during the tournament and had a crucial forecheck that set up Megan Keller’s overtime winning goal against Canada in the final.
In her final season at Penn State, Janecke tallied 48 points to lead the Atlantic Hockey America, including 26 goals. In total, she finished her career at Penn State with 201 points, the most on both men’s and women’s teams all-time. For her efforts, Janecke was named a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Finalist, the first in school history.
During the 2025-26 season, Penn State women’s hockey hosted its first regional in the NCAA Tournament, picked up its first-ever NCAA Tournament win during that stretch and appeared in the Frozen Four.
The Frozen Four overtime loss – in which Janecke scored two goals – was the highest attended Penn State women’s ice hockey game. Additionally, Janecke played a part in Penn State hosting its first-ever outdoor game inside Beaver Stadium, in which the Nittany Lions beat Robert Morris, 3-0.
Janecke becomes the first female to win the SSSWSPSSPOTY. She joins athletic director Pat Kraft and former Nittany Lion tight end Tyler Warren in winning the award. For her win of the SSSWSPSSPOTY, Janecke wins the continued admiration of Penn State fans everywhere and the blog post you just read.
Other names considered: Gavin McKenna, Terry Smith
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