PREVIEW: Rochester-Area Athletes at the Milano Cortina Olympics

BY DAN GLICKMAN

In 1956, Rochester resident Art Tyler made local history when he became the first Rochester-area resident to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games. Although born in Utica, he moved to Rochester to work as an engineer at Eastman Kodak between bobsled competitions — including the four-man bobsled event he won at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy.

So perhaps it is fitting that, 70 years later, the Winter Olympics have returned to Italy, with the games split between Cortina and Milano (Milan). And there will be three athletes from Rochester at the games who will aim to add their names to a list of Rochester-region winter medalists that includes five-time short-track speedskating medalist Cathy Turner, two-time skiing medalist Diann Roffe, and hockey players like Ryan Callahan, Kim Insalaco, and Lyndsay Wall.

Below are the athletes from the Rochester region, along with when and how to watch them (all times are Eastern and subject to change) – all events will be available on NBCOlympics.com and on NBC-affiliated stations.:

Lillis Goes For Another Gold

The most decorated Rochesterian heading to Italy is Chris Lillis, an aerialist who won a gold medal in Beijing in 2022 in the mixed team aerials event. The 27-year-old from Pittsford learned to ski at Bristol Mountain and still returns regularly, and comes from a family of talented aerialists: his older brother Jon took part in the 2018 Olympics, while his youngest brother Mikey was a top prospect in the discipline before tragically passing away at 17.

Since his 2022 team medal, Lillis has remained one of the top American aerialists, winning mixed team aerials golds at the World Championships in 2023 and 2025. He and his teammates will be major medal threats in Italy. Lillis will also take part in the individual aerial event.

Lillis’ Olympics start on Tuesday, Feb. 17, with qualifying in the individual event. The event starts streaming online at NBCOlympics.com and Peacock at 7:30 a.m., and will also air later in the day on USA Network starting at 11 a.m., and on NBC at noon. The qualifying round will also re-air that night on USA Network at 7 p.m. that night.

Should Lillis advance to the finals round in the individual competition, he’ll go for gold at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, on USA Network and streaming. The final will re-air during NBC’s mid-day broadcast that starts at noon

Lillis and his teammates will look to defend Team USA’s gold from Beijing on Saturday, Feb. 21. The event starts at 4:45 a.m. on USA Network and streaming, with the final being reaired at 12:15 p.m. on USA Network and at 4:30 p.m. on NBC.

Walczyk’s Second Olympics

Another returning Olympian from the Rochester area is freestyle skier Dylan Walczyk, who specializes in moguls. The 32-year-old was raised near Bristol, where he started skiing at age 8 before moving to Colorado as a teenager. He finished 16th in moguls at the Beijing Olympics and has qualified for both moguls and dual moguls.

Walczyk’s games start on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 5:15 a.m. with the first moguls qualifying round. The round will stream from the start, with USA Network expected to join in progress at 5:45 a.m. A second round of qualifying will take place on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4:00 a.m., streaming and on USA Network. Should Walczyk reach the final round, it’ll be on Thursday at 6:15 a.m. on streaming and 6:45 a.m. on USA Network, with the finals re-airing on NBC during their midday show that starts at noon.

The dual moguls finals take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 4:30 a.m. on streaming, with USA Network joining at 4:40 a.m. The finals will re-air during the midday NBC show, which starts at 12:30 p.m.

Haley Winn Makes Olympic Debut

Rochester-born Bishop Kearney Selects alumnus Haley Winn will make her Olympic debut with the United States Women’s National Ice Hockey Team in Italy this year, after already playing with them the last three World Championships, where the Americans have won two golds and a silver. The 22-year-old defensewoman played at Clarkson University in college and now plays professionally for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Team USA is, alongside Canada, one of the overwhelming favorites to win gold, although the squad finished second to the Canadians in Beijing. Winn and the Americans begin their Olympics before the Opening Ceremony, with a Group A game against Czechia on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 10:40 a.m. That will be followed by games against Finland (Saturday, Feb. 7, at 10:40 a.m.), Switzerland (Monday, Feb. 9, at 2:40 p.m.), and Canada (Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 2:10 p.m.) before beginning the knock-out rounds. All games in the preliminary round will be streaming and also air on USA Network.

More Rochester Connections

Although Lillis, Walczyk, and Winn are the only three Olympians actually born in the region, there are several more athletes with ties to the area:

• Winn isn’t the only former member of the Bishop Kearney Selects program playing hockey in the Olympics. Winn’s teammates Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Ava McNaughton, and Kirsten Simms, also spent time with Bishop Kearney.
• Kearney’s influence also extends internationally: Germany’s Nina Christof and Jule Schiefer are alumnae of the program, as is the Czech Republic’s Michaela Hesova.
• Several former members of the Rochester Americans will be playing in the men’s hockey competition, including Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson for Team USA, Los Angeles Kings winger Joel Armia and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for Finland, New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom for Sweden, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons of Latvia, and Utah Mammoth winger JJ Peterka for Germany. Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who had a brief stint with the Amerks in 2014-15, will play for Canada. Sabres goalie and former Amerk Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was also set to play for his native Finland, but a late injury has knocked him out of the tournament.

Connections To Neighboring Areas

Rochester’s neighboring regions are also set to make a big impact in Italy:

• The Buffalo area sends hockey player Hayley Scamurra to Team USA, where she’ll team with Winn and the Bishop Kearney Selects alums.
• Also on the women’s hockey team is Rory Guilday, who played collegiately at Cornell in Ithaca.
• Although he was never a member of the Amerks, Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will play for Finland.
• Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley, born in Syracuse to Canadian parents, will represent Canada at the Olympics.
• Japanese women’s hockey player Akane Hosoyamada played collegiately at Syracuse.

Fisher Graduate in Booth For Curling

For the second straight Olympics, St. John Fisher University graduate Sloane Martin will be among those calling the action. Martin, who called multiple sports during the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, will be in the booth doing play-by-play for some curling matches. Originally from California, Martin now calls games for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and the Big Ten Network.

The 2026 Winter Olympics begin Wednesday, Feb. 4, with preliminary curling action. The Opening Ceremony is Friday, Feb. 6, beginning 17 days of medal events before the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 22. All events will also stream on Peacock.