Caroline Harvey, a month removed from being named Olympic MVP and less than a day removed from advancing with her team to a fourth-straight NCAA national championship game, was named the Patty Kazmaier award winner for the 2025-26 season on Saturday.
Harvey has long been a standout in the NCAA, and this year is no different. She leads all NCAA defenders with 18 goals and 63 total points in just 32 games played. Her point total is also fourth-best overall in Division I for the 2025-26 season. With an assist on the overtime winner in Wisconsin’s semifinal last night, she recorded the 200th point of her career.
The senior defender, from Salem, New Hampshire, claims the award for the first time in her career. She is the seventh winner to play at Wisconsin. This is the second win in a row for Wisconsin, following Casey O’Brien last year. Harvey is the first defender to win it since Sophie Jaques in 2023, and just the third defender overall.
This was the third year in a row Harvey was named a top-10 finalist for the award, and the second consecutive season she was a top-three finalist. At the beginning of the month, she was named WCHA Player and Defender of the Year.
Also finalists for the award were Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy and Penn State forward Tessa Janecke. Three other Badgers were named to the top-10 finalist category — Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, and Lacey Eden. All of the top-three finishers were members of the USA Olympic gold medalist team in Milan.
Harvey and the Badgers will face off tomorrow against Ohio State in their quest for another NCAA national title. The teams are meeting in the championship game for a fourth-straight season.