Penn State women’s hockey coach Jeff Kampersal of Beverly has been selected as the 2026 CCM/American Hockey Coaches Association Women’s University Division Coach of the Year for the 2025-26 season.
It is the first time that Kampersal has been honored as a national coach of the year.
Kampersal, whose Nittany Lions saw their season come to an end Friday night with a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to Wisconsin at the Frozen Four at the Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Penn., led his squad to a historic campaign.
Under his guidance, Penn State reached its highest ever national ranking (No. 3) this season, set a single season record for program wins (33) for the second straight year, won the Atlantic Hockey America/College Hockey America (AHA/CHA) regular season and playoff crowns for the fourth straight season, and reached the Frozen Four for the first time ever after besting sixth ranked UConn, 3-0 on home ice March 14. In doing so, the Nittany Lions captured their first-ever game at the NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship.
Additionally, Penn State hosted a regional in the NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship for the first time in program history.
Having won AHA/CHA Coach of the Year honors for the fourth straight season (and fifth overall), Kampersal’s Nittany Lions have won a total of 113 games over the last four seasons, tied for third-most in the nation during that time frame.
A 1988 graduate of St. John’s Prep who went on to captain the men’s hockey team at Princeton (1991-92 season) before playing professionally in both the American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League, Kampersal has now won 11 conference Coach of the Year honors, including six of those earned during his two decades as the head coach at Princeton.
Kampersal reached the 500-win mark for his career against Delaware on January 23, becoming the fifth coach in history to reach the milestone. He owns an 183-90-41 record at Penn State and a 510-352-99 mark for his career.
This season, the Penn State women’s hockey program went 33-6 overall and set an AHA record with seven postseason awards won, earned by six different student-individuals. The team tied program records with nine All-AHA selections and four All-AHA First team honorees.
Counting the nine selections this season, Kampersal has coached 45 All-CHA/AHA honorees, five CHA/AHA Players of the Year, four CHA/AHA Rookies of the Year, three CHA/AHA Best Defenseman and three CHA/AHA Goaltenders of the Year.