One of the winningest and well-respected coaches in women’s ice hockey history, Jeff Kampersal has taken the Penn State women’s hockey program to new heights and now enters his ninth season at the helm of the Penn State program in 2025-26.
The 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, and 2020-21 AHA Coach of the Year and three-time AHCA National Coach of the Year finalist led a historic Nittany Lion team to its third consecutive AHA tournament title and fourth AHA regular season title during the 2024-25 season. The veteran coach brought the team to its first NCAA tournament in program history in 2022-23, now having made the big dance for three straight seasons. He has amassed 80 wins over the last three seasons, the most over three years in program history.
His coaching excellence at both the collegiate level and the international level with USA Hockey has brought a steadying veteran leadership to the Nittany Lions. Under his direction, the Blue & White have secured three CHA/AHA Player of the Year winners, three Rookie of Year honorees, two Defenseman of the Year awardees and two Goaltenders of the Year.
With the Nittany Lions’ 5-3 victory over Union on October 12, 2024, Kampersal captured his 450th career win. He ranks fifth all-time amongst division I women’s hockey coaches in career wins with 477. He currently stands at 150 wins as head coach of the Nittany Lion program.
The record-breaking 2024-25 campaign proved to be one of the best seasons in program history. Kampersal, the 2024-25 AHA Coach of the Year, guided the team to a single season record with 31 victories, including an AHA record of 19 conference wins. The Nittany Lions captured both the AHA regular season and tournament titles for a third straight season.
Three Nittany Lions took home AHA postseason awards. Tessa Janecke earned both the AHA Player and Forward of the Year awards as well as being the league’s scoring champion, Kendall Butze won the AHA Best Defenseman award and Katie DeSa was the conference’s Goaltender of the Year. The trio was joined by fellow junior Katelyn Roberts on the All-AHA First Team. Maddy Christian and Lyndie Lobdell earned All-AHA Second Team honors while Grace Outwater and Grace Tullock were selected to the AHA All-Rookie Team.
The tandem of Kampersal and Janecke has proven to be one of the top skater and coach duos in collegiate women’s ice hockey. The Orangeville, Illinois native became the Penn State ice hockey (men’s and women’s) all-time leader in points in a 4-0 shutout win over Lindenwood on Jan. 25. She currently has 153 points on 63 goals and 90 assists for her career. She was named a top 10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the second straight year, finishing with 24 goals and 29 assists. Additionally, she was a Second Team CCM/AHCA Division I All-American and All-USCHO Second Team selection. At the international level, Janecke played a key role for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. She scored the golden goal to defeat Canada, 4-3, in overtime of the gold medal game in Czechia. It was her second gold, third medal overall, with the United States at the IIHF World Championships.
Janecke was not the only Nittany Lion to make history under Kampersal’s guidance during the 2024-25 season. Lobdell set the program record for most games played with 168 as well as becoming the program leader in career points by a defenseman with 84. DeSa finished the season with nine shutouts, tying the program’s single season record and ranking second in the nation. Additionally, she was named a semifinalist for the HCA Goalie of the Year award.
During the 2023-24 season, Kampersal was named the 2023-24 CHA Coach of the Year for the third time in his career as the team won 22 games as well as had a team that comprised of a total of 24 CHA weekly award winners, nine CHA monthly award winners, and three All-CHA team selections.
Through Kampersal’s leadership, Janecke was a top 10 Patty Kazmier Award finalist for the first time in her career in 2024. On February 24 against RIT, the forward equaled the 100-career point mark as she scored a goal in the CHA Tournament semifinals. She hit the mark faster than any Nittany Lion in program history. Janecke was also named the CHA Player and Forward of the Year as well as the association's scoring champion. She earned USCHO Second Team All-American honors for the first time in her career.
During the 2022-23 season, Kampersal was named the 2022-23 CHA Coach of Year for the second time in his career as the team won a program-high 27 games as well as had a team that comprised a total of 26 CHA weekly award winners, 12 CHA monthly award winners, and five All-CHA team selections. He’s produced a team that went on an 18-game unbeaten streak and been nationally ranked amongst the top 10 in the nation. Kampersal became a finalist for National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
Under Kampersal’s leadership, Kiara Zanon was a top- 10 Patty Kazmier Award finalist for the second time in her career in 2023. She broke Natalie Heising’s record in single season goals. The Fairport, N.Y., native also led the nation with five shorthanded goals.
On January 13 against RIT, the forward equaled and surpassed the 100-career point mark as she scored back-to-back shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill. Zanon also broke her own single season program record in points from a season ago. She was a three-time CHA Forward of the Week recipient and captured two CHA Forward of the Month honors. The Fairport, N.Y. native also was named the 2023 CHA Player of the Year and CHA Scoring Champion.
Kampersal also aided freshman Janecke as she was an integral part of Penn State’s championship season as she skated in 38 games and tallied 22 goals alongside 25 assists for 47 points. The Orangeville, Illinois native scored her first hat-trick as a Nittany Lion on February 25 against Lindenwood in the CHA semifinals as it was the second time in program history a hat-trick was scored in the postseason. She also broke all the program records for freshman including single season points, assists and goals. She was named the USCHO.com Rookie of the Year and was named the All-USCHO Rookie team for the first time in her career.
She is the third Nittany Lion in program history to be named to the All-Rookie team. Janecke was named CHA Rookie of the Year, HCA National Rookie of the Year and was a Patty Kazmaier Award nominee. Additional accolades from the 2022-23 season include one CHA Forward of the Month honor, one HCA National Rookie of the Month award, three CHA Rookie of the Month awards, and six CHA Rookie of the Week nods. She also captured a gold medal with Team USA at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championships and tallied three goals and three assists during the tournament.
Penn State’s 2020-21 team secured its first No. 1 seed in the College Hockey America tournament, its first top-ten national ranking in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, and broke several team records both offensively and defensively. Seven of his players on the 2020-21 squad received All-CHA honors, also a program record. Under Kampersal’s direction, two Nittany Lion freshmen broke through as a pair of the nation’s top performers.
Kiara Zanon became the first Patty Kazmaier finalist in team history and was named the WHCA National Rookie of the Year while teammate Josie Bothun was chosen as the team’s first national goalie of the year finalist while also being named the USCHO.com National Rookie of the Year. These two players in addition to several other key contributors elevated their individual play and bought in to an unselfish team culture that led to the Nittany Lions’ title season.
Kampersal’s team has showcased defensive excellence since his arrival, highlighted in the 2019-20 season by seven total shutout victories, a single-season program high. Penn State’s increased competitiveness has resulted in marquee program victories of late, including a win over fifth-ranked Colgate, 4-2, in 2018-19, the highest-ranked win in program history. Kampersal’s arrival impacted Penn state immediately on the ice in his first season in 2017-18, when Penn State allowed a CHA-best 1.92 goals per game, an improvement of more than a goal per game from the previous season.
In addition to his on-ice guidance, Kampersal has built and sustained a program culture of excellence both in the classroom and in the community. Since Kampersal’s arrival in Hockey Valley, Penn State women’s hockey recorded back-to-back perfect academic progress rates according to the latest NCAA APR reports, which measures eligibility, retention and graduation of the program’s student-athletes. The Nittany Lions have also had 66 All-AHA Academic team honorees and 71 Academic All-Big Ten winners during his tenure.
The 2018-19 team captain Kelsey Crow was the recipient of Penn State’s prestigious Eric A. Walker Award, an award given to a graduating Penn State senior who has best represented the university through extracurricular activities and community service.
Kampersal was named Penn State head coach on June 1, 2017. The head coach of the Princeton Tigers for 21 seasons, Kampersal garnered ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year honors three times and Ivy League Coach of the Year accolades twice.
He guided the Tigers to two Ivy League Championships (2005-06 & 2015-16) and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2005-06 & 2015-16).Kampersal’s student-athletes earned 68 All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hockey honors, 54 All-Ivy League selections, five Patty Kazmaier Award nominees, and two American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-America plaudits. During his final two seasons at Princeton, Kampersal guided the Tigers to a 42-19-5 cumulative record that included the 2016 Ivy League Championship and an NCAA Tournament at-large berth.
The 2016-17 campaign saw Princeton compile an overall record of 20-10-3, falling to eventual national champion Clarkson in the ECAC Tournament semifinals. During the season, the Tigers recorded seven wins over ranked teams, had a Patty Kazmaier top-10 finalist, the USCHO.com National Rookie of the Year, six All-Ivy League members, and four All-ECAC members, including the Goalie and Rookie of the Year. Princeton was ranked No. 9 in the final 2016-17 USCHO.com poll.
In 2015-16, Kampersal directed Princeton to its winningest season in program history to date. The Tigers compiled a 22-9-2 record, won the Ivy League title, had an NCAA Tournament bid and Kampersal earned Ivy League and ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year honors.
Kampersal’s experience as a coach with USA Hockey includes guiding the USA Women’s Hockey Under-18 Team to silver medals at the 2013 and 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women’s U18 Championships. He also served on the coaching staff of the USA Women’s Select Festival from 2004-06.
A 1992 Princeton graduate with a degree in psychology, Kampersal served as the men’s hockey team’s captain as a senior. An All-Ivy League and All-ECAC selection, Kampersal was awarded the 1941 Championship Trophy, given to the Princeton player who best represents the winning spirit of the 1941 championship team.
From Beverly, Massachusetts, Kampersal played high school hockey at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts, and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
A 10th-round selection of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders in the 1988 entry draft, Kampersal played for the ECHL’s Richmond Renegades and the AHL’s Capital District Islanders.
Kampersal and his wife, Eileen, have a daughter, Keira, and a son, Jack.