Kaleigh Quennec ’17 and her Swiss women’s ice hockey team won the bronze in the 2026 Winter Olympics with an overtime victory over Sweden on Thursday, February 19. It was Switzerland’s second Olympic medal in women’s hockey, the first also being a bronze in 2014.

Team Switzerland defeated Sweden 2-1 in the bronze-medal game, which went into overtime with the scored tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation. Switzerland netted the game-winning goal after more than nine minutes of 3-on-3 overtime play. The Swiss had advanced to the medal round after defeating Finland 1-0 in the quarterfinalis and losing to eventual silver medalist Canada in the semifinals.

The Milan Cortina Games were Quennec’s second Olympic appearance, having previously represented Switzerland at the 2022 Games in Beijing, where Switzerland finished fourth, just out of the medals. Read Quennec’s Olympic journal from the 2022 Winter Games in the spring 2022 issue of Loomis Chaffee Magazine. 

Quennec, who plays in the forward position, has skated for Switzerland at five International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship tournaments between 2019 and 2024. She also competed with the Swiss Under-18 national team, serving as an assistant captain from 2013 to 2015 and earning the captain’s role in 2016. 

At the collegiate level, Quennec played for the University of Montreal. During her time at Loomis Chaffee, she was a key contributor to the 2017 team that advanced to the Division I New England Tournament semifinals.