![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/kristyna_4-1024x683.jpg\")
For Osborne, Kaltounkov\u00e1, and Neubauerov\u00e1, Milan marked another milestone in already accomplished careers. Kaltounkov\u00e1 entered the games fresh off being drafted No. 1 overall by the New York Sirens in the 2025 PWHL Draft, while Osborne, a standout goaltender for the Raiders, now starts in net for the same franchise. Neubauerov\u00e1, meanwhile, returned for her second Olympics after debuting in Beijing in 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still limiting fan turnout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis year\u2019s games were really different,\u201d Neubauerov\u00e1 says. \u201cAt Milan, the stands were full of people, which was an extremely cool experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That energy extended beyond the rink. In one surreal moment, Neubauerov\u00e1 crossed paths with hockey legend Sidney Crosby in the dining hall, serving as a reminder of the rare, shared space the games create among the world\u2019s best athletes. Still, for Neubauerov\u00e1, the true meaning of the Olympics runs much deeper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe put so much emphasis on this tournament because it means so much to represent all the people who believed in you and helped you to get where you are now,\u201d Neubauerov\u00e1 says. \u201cIt\u2019s also an opportunity to represent yourself and all your hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Kaltounkov\u00e1, that same sense of responsibility defines every time she steps out onto the ice. \u201cNo matter what tournament it is, whenever I put on that beautiful jersey, I focus on being the best version of me on and off the ice because I am always representing my country and the people there,\u201d Kaltounkov\u00e1 says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vocetkov\u00e1, the youngest member of Team Czechia who is set to arrive at Colgate this fall, experienced the games with a mix of nerves and determination. However, uncertainty quickly gave way to focus when the reality of the moment set in. \u201cI really wanted to help my team as much as I could,\u201d Vocetkov\u00e1 says. \u201cWhether cheering them on or being on the ice fighting for them, I was locked in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Gropper_Milan-copy31-1024x657.jpg\")
Vocetkov\u00e1 actually learned about Colgate through Neubauerov\u00e1 \u2014 who had once coached her at a summer camp before becoming her teammate \u2014 and Kaltounkov\u00e1, as an ideal place to grow as a player and a student. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLinda is one of my closest friends on the team,\u201d Kaltounkov\u00e1 says. \u201cColgate is getting an amazing human being who is incredibly good at hockey and will better the already wonderful, tight-knit community in Hamilton. I am looking forward to seeing how great she does and cannot wait to support her through it all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Five Colgate alumnae participated in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1260,"featured_media":24009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2633],"class_list":["post-24008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scene"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/palXSH-6fe","amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/linda_and_noemi.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24008"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24454,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24008\/revisions\/24454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24008"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=24008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}