U Olympians headed to Italy

Thirty-one athletes with ties to the University of Utah will be competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics this month. In fact, the U ranks No. 1 among all U.S. colleges and universities represented at the Milano Cortina Games. Of our 28 Team USA Olympians, 14 are freestyle skiers and freeskiers, eight are speedskaters, two are snowboarders, two are ski jumpers, one is an alpine skier and one is a cross-country skier. Internationally, the university is represented by Fayik Abdi (Saudi Arabia, alpine skiing), Joe Davies (Great Britain, cross-country skiing) and Madison Hoffman (Australia, alpine skiing), who are all alumni.

Utah fans should set their alarms on Tuesday, Feb. 17, for 2:45 a.m. That’s when the aerials begin, where the entire USA team—Kyra Dossa, Kaila Kuhn, Tasia Tanner and Winter Vinecki—consists of U students and alumni. More than half of the USA Freestyle Ski team hails from the U, including Alex Hall and Chris Lillis, who won gold medals in Men’s Slopestyle and Men’s Aerials, respectively, at the 2022 Beijing Games. Moguls skier Jailin Kauf won the silver medal that year, as well, and is a strong candidate to medal in 2026.

Beyond the worlds of sliding on snow down (or up) a mountain, there are, of course, the sheets of frozen water, where the University of Utah also has a healthy representation. More than one-third of USA Speedskating has ties to the U. And six of the eight speedskaters from the U are returning for another Olympic Games, highlighted by Ethan Cepuran and Casey Dawson, who both won a bronze medal in the team pursuit in 2022.

Here’s a breakdown of all the U’s Team USA Olympians by sport and event, with Olympic Games in which they have participated in parentheses.