Ohio State freshman forward Joy Dunne has been chosen by the nation’s assistant coaches as the winner of the 2024 Julie Chu Rookie of the Year Award.
Dunne enters the NCAA Frozen Four with a line of 22-18-40 in 37 games for the Buckeyes. She was a major factor in Ohio State capturing the WCHA’s regular-season title and earning the top seed for the NCAA tournament. They bring a 33-4 record to Durham, N.H., for the Frozen Four, fresh off a 9-0 NCAA quarterfinal win over Minnesota Duluth.
Dunne, a native of O’Fallon, Mo., had a goal and an assist in the victory. Dunne carded two hat tricks this season (vs. Bemidji State on Nov. 3 and vs. Minnesota on Jan. 12) and had 12 multi-point games in 2023-24. Her stats also include 146 shots on goal and a remarkable plus-36 plus/minus.
The national women’s rookie of the year is chosen by a vote of the NCAA Division I schools’ assistant coaches, with one vote per staff.
The award is named after the former Harvard and U.S. Olympic standout who recorded 93 points as a freshman during the 2003-04 season, en route to a career in which she set an NCAA record with 284 career points. The names on the ballot are each conference’s rookie of the year.
The runner-up for this year’s award was Colgate forward Emma Pais.
The other finalists were Sacred Heart forward Isabel Chaput, Robert Morris forward Alaina Giampietro, and Boston College forward Sammy Taber.
