Rory Guilday ’25 finished her first Olympics at the pinnacle of women’s hockey.

Guilday won gold as a member of the U.S. women’s team that defeated Canada, 2-1 in overtime, Feb. 19 at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games.

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Two of Canada’s top players and former Big Red standouts, Kristin O’Neill ’20 and Brianne Jenner ’15, finished with silver medals.

Until late in the contest, it appeared that a second-period goal from O’Neill might be enough to lift the Canadians to gold. O’Neill, playing in her first Olympics, scored her third goal of the tournament less than a minute into the second period, while the U.S. was on a power play.

But U.S. star Hilary Knight scored late in the third period to send the game to overtime, and Megan Keller scored the gold-medal-winning goal less than five minutes into the extra period.

In all, four former Cornell women’s hockey players took the ice at the Olympics; Laura Fortino ’13 played for Italy. She played for Canada in two prior Winter Olympics, but qualified through family lineage to play for Italy.

O’Neill and Guilday became the ninth and 10th players from Cornell’s program to play at the Olympics. Former Big Red stars have now won a total of 10 gold and seven silver medals.

Nine of the 10 Olympians played at Cornell under Doug Derraugh ’91, the Everett Family Head Coach of Women’s Ice Hockey.

“I’m excited that all of these players are achieving their lifelong goals of playing in the Olympics,” Derraugh said. “Obviously, we’re very proud that we attract players and people of this caliber.

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For Jenner, a graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), Milan marked her fourth appearance for Canada. She now has two gold medals and two silver medals to her name. She is second in career points for the Big Red and finished as the top goal-scorer at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing with nine.

“Brianne is the total package as a hockey player,” Derraugh said. “And she’s a great ambassador for the game of hockey, Cornell and Team Canada.”

O’Neill, also an A&S graduate, made her Olympic debut in Milan. She traveled to Beijing in 2022 as part of Canada’s “taxi squad” – players who were available in case of a COVID outbreak on a team – but she never saw the ice. O’Neill is no stranger to the Team Canada setup, however, having won three world championships. She finished her Cornell career as the program’s all-time leader in game-winning goals with 21.

“If I were going into battle with anybody and needed to bring someone I know had my back, I would pick Kristin O’Neill,” Derraugh said. “She’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever coached.”

Fortino, who graduated from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), qualified via family lineage to play for Italy after winning silver in 2014 and gold in 2018 with Canada. She scored 133 points in 133 career games for the Big Red. She has been living and playing in Italy the past two years.

“Laura was a huge part of the turnaround for the women’s hockey program at Cornell,” Derraugh said. “At one point, she was the best defenseman in the world, and it means so much to her family that she now has the opportunity to represent Italy.”

Guilday, a CALS graduate, became the first Big Red alumna to represent the United States. She already won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2023 World Championships, along with two silver medals. Guilday made the All-Ivy First Team as both a junior and senior at Cornell.

“I talked with Rory when she arrived at Cornell, and I’m not sure at that point she believed she was capable of this,” Derraugh said. “But she is a dominating physical presence, and women’s hockey has become much more physical in recent years. She has is also a powerful skater and has one of the hardest shots I’ve ever seen.”