Hobart and William Smith Colleges

9 March 2026 • Alums Behind the Scenes of the 2026 Winter Olympics

A sports physician, an artist, two NBC game management employees and a mother of two Olympians were part of HWS' contingent at the Olympic Games in Milan Cortina. 

Five alumni and their families made their mark behind the scenes of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

U.S. Women’s Hockey’s Team Physician

Dr. Allyson “Ally” Shirtz Howe ’94, P’25 is serving as team physician for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey Team.

Howe first worked with Team USA in 2011 as a physician for the International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship. Her Olympic experience expanded in 2014 at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, where she served as a general physician for U.S. Olympic Committee staff, former Olympians and family members. 

In 2018, she served as the head team physician for the U.S. women’s ice hockey team at the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and was behind the bench when the team captured gold.

Howe’s once again part of an Olympic gold bid, as the U.S. team faces Canada in the final on Feb. 19.

Watch a viral NBC Sports Instagram Reel of Shirtz Howe and Snoop Dogg exchanging Olympic bracelets. 

Designing a Viral Helmet

Artist Carlyn Kosienski ’23 designed and spraypainted Team USA skeleton athlete Austin Florian’s Marvel-inspired Venom helmet. After Florian, her brother-in-law, rocketed headfirst down the track wearing her design, it quickly captured national attention. In a viral post on Instagram and Facebook, CBS Sports called the helmet “too cool!”

“The imagery itself is pretty similar to his past helmets,” Kosienski explains. “For this go around we wanted to take it up a notch and make something that was going to turn heads.”

The response has been overwhelming.

“It’s been pretty surreal seeing the reactions it’s getting online,” she says. “I’d say overall I’m truly grateful Austin let me be a part of this Olympic journey, and he deserves every ounce of recognition he’s getting. He’s an incredible athlete, and I’m lucky to call him family.”

Follow Kosienski's art journey on Instagram here. 

Game Management with NBC

Mia Tetrault ’25 and Margo Grapshi ’22 are helping bring the Games to viewers worldwide as part of NBC’s coverage team in Italy.

Tetrault is serving as a runner on the Games Event Management team, managing accreditation and guest pass submissions, developing guides for the International Broadcast Centre and Media Accreditation Centre and navigating the fast-paced logistics that power Olympic coverage.

She credits Grapshi, who she connected with as a senior at HWS, for mentorship and guidance throughout the experience.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work alongside Margo Grapshi at the Winter Olympics in Milan,” Tetrault says. “She has been an exceptional mentor throughout the Games.”

After reading about Grapshi’s work at the Paris Olympics in 2024 on the HWS website, Tetrault connected with Grapshi through their shared mentor Associate Professor of Media and Society Lisa Patti.

“We instantly connected, stayed in touch, and just before my graduation, Margo reached out about the runner position with NBC Sports,” Tetrault says.

So far, Tetrault’s highlights from the Games include attending the opening ceremony rehearsal at San Siro Stadium, cheering on Canadian speed skater Valérie Maltais as she claimed bronze and witnessing Francesca Lollobrigida set an Olympic record and win Italy’s first gold medal of the 2026 Games.

Having studied Italian at HWS, Tetrault has embraced the opportunity to practice the language and explore Milan’s culture and cuisine.

“Working alongside Margo and the NBC Sports team has been a dream come true,” she says. Up next, Tetrault is looking forward to the 2028 Summer Olympics in her hometown, Los Angeles.

A Family Celebration 

Winnie Chee-Atkin ’85 has history-making children. With bronze medal wins, her daughters Zoe and Izzy Aktin have become the first pair of siblings to take home medals for Team Great Britain since 1924. 

This year, Zoe medaled in the women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing competition, taking home a final score of 92.50 behind Eileen Gu (94.75) and Fanghui Li (93.00), both representing China. Zoe became just the second athlete to medal in a skiing event for Great Britain after Izzy. Izzy retired from competitive skiing after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as a broken pelvis leading up to it prevented her from competing. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Izzy took home bronze in women’s slopestyle skiing. With these victories, the sisters become the first pair of siblings to win medals for Great Britain since brothers Colin and Eric Carruthers won gold in the men's ice hockey in 1924.

“It was so full circle to have (Izzy) watching me here and supporting when I was watching her in PyeongChang,” Zoe says in a Birmingham Live article. “To share that with her just means so much.”

In the photo above, (from left to right) Mia Tetrault ’25 and Margo Grapshi ’22 with the Milan Cortina mascots Tina and Milo; Dr. Allyson “Ally” Shirtz Howe ’94, P’25 and Snoop Dogg; Carlyn Kosienski ’23 at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; and Winnie Chee-Atkin '85, Chief Executive Officer of GB Snowsport Vicky Gosling OBE and Zoe Atkin.