Former Wisconsin women's hockey standouts and L&S alumni Meghan Duggan (BS'11, Biology) and Hilary Knight (BA'13, History) are among four Badgers who will be part of the U.S. women's hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. UW alumni Brianna Decker and Alex Rigsby are also members of the team.
Duggan, who will serve as the U.S. captain at the 2018 Winter Olympics after holding the honor at the 2014 games, and Knight will make their third appearance at the Olympics in February. Decker, an alternate captain, on this year's team, made her second Olympic team after playing at the 2014 Winter Games while Rigsby will make her Olympic debut this year in PyeongChang, South Korea.
The quartet will join the five Badgers – Emily Clark, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Meaghan Mikkelson, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull - selected on Dec. 22 to the Canadian Olympic team.
The captain of the U.S. squad at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Duggan is one of the most experienced players on this year's roster with two Olympics under her belt. The Danvers, Massachusetts, native has served as the U.S. captain at every international tournament since the 2013 Four Nations Cup and has played in 130 games for the United States. The Badgers' captain during the 2010-11 season, Duggan led UW to three NCAA titles and won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2011.
A member of the 2014 Winter Olympics Media All-Star Team, Knight shared the team lead in points at the last Olympics with six points off three goals and three assists. The Sun Valley, Idaho, native has 99 goals, 76 assists and 175 points while wearing the Red, White and Blue, including 14 points in Olympic competition. Knight scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the 2017 IIHF World Championships to lead the U.S. to its third-straight world title. During her time at UW, Knight won two NCAA titles and left the program as the school's all-time goals leader with 143 and points leader with 262.
A native of Dousman, Wisconsin, Decker recorded six points, which was tied for the U.S. lead, during her Olympic debut in 2014 to lead the U.S. to silver. The MVP of the 2017 IIHF World Championships, Decker has recorded 145 points in 110 games for USA Hockey, including a tournament-leading 12 points at the 2017 IIHF World Championships. During her UW career, Decker led UW to the 2011 NCAA title and won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to the nation's top women's college hockey player, in 2012.
A native of Delafield, Wisconsin, Rigsby will make her Olympic debut after shining on the international stage for the U.S. Rigsby has been a part of four IIHF World Championship teams and has a 19-4-0-6 record in net for the U.S., including a 1-0 win against Canada in the gold-medal game at the 2016 IIHF World Championship. A member of UW's 2011 NCAA title team, Rigsby was the first goaltender in UW history to serve as captain and left the program as the winningest goaltender in school history.
The U.S. opens play at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Feb. 11 with a 1:40 a.m. CT game against Finland.
Story courtesy of University of Wisconsin Athletics.
