As the Olympics have started, many events are going to be competed in. Mary Fran O’Keefe, BSM’s Director of Alumni Relations and Community, went to watch the Olympic Games in Milan, Italy. O’Keefe loves supporting the BSM’s alumni, and many young Red Knight athletes go on to compete on higher levels. Some athletes from BSM have even gone to compete in their events for first place, representing Team USA for women’s hockey at the Olympic Games. Kelly Pannek, a class of 2014 BSM alum, is now advancing into the 2026 Winter Olympics. From February 5th to February 19th, Pannek is going to be competing in hockey for Team USA, wearing Number 12. Pannek is also serving as an assistant captain for Minnesota Frost, the Minnesotan Professional Women’s Hockey League. Pannek has a record of three goals and eleven assists in the 24-25 season.
There were many motivations for O’Keefe to travel to Milan for this season’s Olympic Games. “I’m a big sports fan. Obviously, I’ve watched [Pannek], and I know her pretty well, and…the fact that I could go to the Olympics and actually know someone who was competing was compelling,” O’Keefe said.
During the time that O’Keefe was watching the Olympics, she spent her time watching figure skating while she was waiting for Pannek to play her next game. She had to travel to different areas that were all surrounded by the city of Milan. O’Keefe was only involved in watching the Olympics, not other activities around Milan. “We just did Olympic events mostly, but the opening ceremonies were very cool…I love figure skating. I think it’s hard to tell on TV how fast they’re going. It looks like it’s really simple. I mean, they are really fast, the figure skaters. So that was really fun,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe got to watch the opening ceremony and another game of Pannek’s. When O’Keefe got to a stadium outside of Milan, Pannek competed against the Czech Republic and Finland. O’Keefe is a huge fan of watching sports, and she was very excited to go see an alum. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Gail Ross • Mar 4, 2026 at 8:54 pm
Cheers to Maureen Weber Grazzini, BSM Alum, and Leslie Cadle, BSM Board member and parent of 2 BSM alumni, for traveling with Mary Fran O’Keefe to Italy!