Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees Jincy Dunne talks during the Athletics Hall of Fame event on Sep. 25, 2026. Credit: Michael Goulet | Campus Photo Editor.
Jincy Dunne’s career at Ohio State welcomed a lot of firsts for the women’s ice hockey program.
She was the program’s first Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year, winning the award in 2020, the first two-time First-Team All-American for the program and was also part of Ohio State’s first Frozen Four qualifying team in 2017-2018.
And while she was recognized for her accomplishments in the Covelli Center on Sept. 25 as a member of the 2026 Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame class, her legacy as a Buckeye goes beyond a stat sheet.
She also passed along traditions that were carried on by her younger sister, and current standout senior forward, Joy Dunne.
One of those traditions includes bringing cookies to teammates.?
Joy said Jincy brought treats to the locker room to ease the stress of underclassmen navigating decisions about their majors, while she continued the gesture to reassure freshmen adjusting to their first semester of college.?
“[Jincy] was like, ‘You guys will figure it out. It’ll work out. It’s okay. Like I’m here for you,’” Joy said Oct. 7. “She just kind of did this to reassure them, and I thought it was so sweet and so special. She’s done that for me my whole childhood, but seeing her do that for her teammates inspired me to keep that tradition alive.”
Head coach Nadine Muzerall has coached three Dunne sisters — Jincy, Joy and their older sister Jessica — since she took over the program 11 seasons ago.?
Jincy was a redshirt-sophomore in Muzerall’s second season as head coach, and the program made its first Frozen Four appearance. Since then, under Muzerall, Ohio State has won two NCAA national championships and made seven Frozen Four appearances.?
“We needed each other to create what winning looked like,” Muzerall said Oct. 5. “[Jincy] needed to control the locker room. I needed to control from above what everything looked like.”
Over the past five years, the Buckeyes have become a premier hockey program, making five NCAA national championship games in a row, with Joy being a member of the past three.?
“It’s been really sweet to see, especially my sister getting to reap some of the reward of me and my class and all the hard work that’s [been] put in,” Jincy said.
Muzerall, who nominated Jincy for her Ohio State 2026 Athletic Hall of Fame recognition, said the program’s success over the past decade would not have been possible without the defensemen’s persistence and leadership.
“If I didn’t have Jincy with not just her skill on the ice, to grow the team to where it is, it was more impactful her demand of excellence from everybody in the locker room,” Muzerall said. “I think she was more impactful in the locker room than honestly, on the ice, just because that’s what people see, but I mean, if you could see how she demanded excellence and portrayed that, people just wanted to follow her and be her.”?
Despite Jincy’s final season with the Buckeyes being in 2019-20, she has stayed close with her former coach. During Jincy’s wedding in 2023, Muzerall’s children, Bella and Brady, were flower girl and ring bearer, respectively. Additionally, Muzerall and her daughter attended Jincy’s baby shower earlier this year.
“We still have a great relationship,” Jincy said. “You get her outside of college, she really is one of the coolest people we’ve ever met, and so I have nothing but respect and love for her. And that was definitely a highlight of me coming [to Ohio State].”?
Ohio State women’s ice hockey head coach Nadine Muzerall and her daughter, Bella, before Jincy Dunne’s wedding in Ashville, Ohio, on June 10, 2023. Credit: courtesy of Nadine Muzerall.
The relationships Jincy built at Ohio State have extended beyond her career. For Joy, her sister’s influence on her began long before wearing the Block O — and continues to shape the kind of person, and player, she wants to be.
“I love hockey and all it’s brought, but I think what I look back on a lot of the stuff, I look back on the people,” Joy said. “How we grew together, how we developed together and I hope what’s taken away from [when] I’m done is not the hockey player, but the person of wanting to help the community and be friends with my teammates and be friends with other athletes and serve in our community.”
At the induction ceremony, Jincy explained how thankful she is for everything Ohio State and the women’s ice hockey program has given her over the years.?
“This was truly some of the best five years of my life, and such an amazing school,” Jincy said. “I’ve met some of my best friends. I grew so much as a person. I met my husband through here, and now I’m having a baby with him. So it’s just the gift that keeps on giving.”
