It’s been a week of debuts, school records and wins for the four Cornell alumnae at the Winter Olympics. With all four former Red athletes at the Milano Cortina Games participating in women’s ice hockey, fans of the Red have had plenty to cheer for in the first week of the Olympics.
The four Cornellians — Laura Fortino ’13, Brianne Jenner ’15, Kristin O'Neill ’20 and Rory Guilday ’25 — represent three countries, all of which succeeded in advancing to the tournament’s knockout stages.
Read more about Guilday, Jenner and O'Neill here, and Fortino here.
When Guilday took the ice in a 5-1 win over Czechia on Feb. 5, she not only made her Olympic debut, but also became the first Cornellian to play for the USA’s women’s hockey team at the Winter Games. While the 2025 Daily Sun Female Athlete of the Year has exclusively served as the American extra-defender, Guilday ended the opening round of the Games with a +2 plus/minus. in her four appearances.
In Guilday’s final first-round matchup against Canada, she squared off versus Jenner and O'Neill, marking the first time Cornellians had ever faced one another in women’s hockey at the Olympics. The first matchup of women’s hockey’s greatest rivalry — the United States and Canada have met in the gold medal game of all but one Winter Olympics — was won emphatically by the Americans, 5-0.
O'Neill has had a phenomenal start to her first Olympics, anchoring the Canadian fourth line in all four games of the tournament. In Canada’s second game, O'Neill became the fourth Cornellian to score a goal in a women’s hockey Olympic tournament when she knocked home a rebound six minutes into a 5-1 win over Czechia. O'Neill also netted an assist in the win, and three days later on Feb. 12 she registered another goal and assist in a 5-0 victory.
Her Canadian teammate, Jenner, also had a productive first week in Italy. The now-four time Olympian began the week as the center on Canada’s third forward line, but moved up to the first line after an injury to Marie-Philip Poulin. Jenner notched a multiple-point game of her own in the win over Czechia.
For Fortino — a two time medalist with Canada — the games have represented a new challenge. The former Cornell blueliner now represents Italy, trying to boost the host-nation in its second women’s hockey Olympic tournament appearance. The 35 year old led Italian skaters in time on ice in three of the four first-round games, and notched an assist in Italy's 3-2 win over Japan.
Entering the knockout round still searching for her first Olympic goal, Fortino will match up against Guilday and the United States in the quarterfinals on Friday. Meanwhile, Canada will take on Germany on Saturday. All games can be streamed on Peacock.
Eli Fastiff is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can follow him on X @Eli_Fastiff and reach him at efastiff@cornellsun.com.
