Caroline Harvey Named 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, March 21, 2026

Salem, N.H., native is third defender to earn recognition as top NCAA I women’s hockey player

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey (Salem, N.H.) was named the winner of the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award today before a capacity crowd in Alumni Hall at the HUB-Robeson Center on the campus of Penn State University.

The ceremony, which was broadcast live on NHL Network, highlighted Saturday at the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four festivities.

Harvey is the third defender and seventh Badger overall to win the honor, which is presented annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.

A versatile threat at the blue line for the University of Wisconsin, Harvey ranks first in the nation in assists per game (1.40) and is second in the country in points per game (1.97) heading into the NCAA Tournament.

The Salem, New Hampshire, native captained the charge on a stellar season for the Badgers, who enters the NCAA Championship game with a record of 34-4-2 (W-L-T). She recorded 63 points (18g, 45a) in just 32 contests, outscoring the nearest defender in the nation by over 20 points.

A force in the WCHA, Harvey earned conference Player of the Year, Defender of the Year and First-Team honors after leading the league in points per game (2.14) and assists per game (1.48).

Harvey led Wisconsin to the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game and was named to the All-Tournament Team, recording seven points (1g, 6a) in four playoff games.

Throughout her senior season, Harvey has been recognized with a myriad of awards, including six WCHA Defender of the Week, four WCHA Defender of the Month and three HCA Defender of the Month honors.

Off the ice, Harvey volunteers in the Madison, Wisconsin, community with the Special Olympics, the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Ronald McDonald House and local Madison elementary schools.

NOTES: Harvey is the 29th recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and was selected from a group of three finalists that also included Tessa Janecke (Orangeville, Ill.) from Penn State University and Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, Ill.) from the University of Minnesota … The recipient of the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award was chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media and an at-large member and representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States.

THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD

An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement. For a full list of previous honorees, click HERE.

ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER

The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.

For more information contact Melissa Katz (melissa.katz@usahockey.org/908.208.2146)