For Laila Edwards, accolades are ‘cool,’ but being a role model is more important

Wisconsin Badgers hockey player Laila Edwards, a 2026 Olympic gold medalist and three-time NCAA champion, spoke with Andscape’s Cayla Sweazie about what it means to break barriers for young Black women in the sport.

In 2023, Edwards became the first Black woman to make the U.S. women’s national hockey team. She made more history this year as the first Black woman to play hockey for Team USA at the Winter Olympics. A month after winning a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games, Edwards earned her third national championship with the Wisconsin Badgers.

In this conversation, Edwards talks about the value of representation in the sport, winning Olympic gold, what she wants people to know about her beyond her hockey prowess, and how it felt to win her first national championship at Wisconsin with her sister, Chayla Edwards.

The post For Laila Edwards, accolades are ‘cool,’ but being a role model is more important appeared first on Andscape.