Sophie Jaques wins 2023 Patty Kazmaier award as top NCAA women’s hockey player

The NCAA has announced that Ohio State University defenseman Sophie Jacques is the recipient of the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

The prestigious award is given to the top Division I women’s hockey player.

Jaques is the first player from Ohio State to win the award, and just the second blueliner in the award’s history since first getting presented in 1998. She was also a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier last year after scoring 21 goals and 59 points.

Jaques leads all NCAA defenders with 24 goals and 48 points in just 40 games. Jaques also won WCHA defender of the year and WCHA player of the year after helping the Buckeyes qualify for the NCAA national championship on Sunday.

The civil engineering student spent three seasons with the PWHL’s Toronto Aeros, where she made her mark as one of the better two-way defenders in the league.

Jaques is the 26th different player to win the award, with Taylor Heise (2022) and Aerin Frankel (2021) being the most recent winners. Other famous winners include Loren Gabel, Daryl Watts, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Brianna Decker, Jennifer Botterill (twice) and many other current and former Olympic champions. Many previous winners have gone on to have exceptional careers in the PHF or Olympic national teams.

Jaques edged out Northeastern’s Alina Mueller and Colgate’s Danielle Serdachy to win the award.