JASON WHITE NAMED HEAD COACH FOR AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION WOMEN’S NATIONAL UNIVERSITY TEAM COMPETING AT THE 2027 FISU WINTER WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES IN CHANGCHUN, CHINA
33rd Edition of International Event will be Staged from January 13-25, 2027
TROY, Mich. – (September 25, 2026) – The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) today announced that Jason White (Omaha, Neb.) has been named the Head Coach of the United States Women’s National University Team that will compete at the 2027 FISU Winter World University Games in Changchun, China from January 13-25, 2027.
White, the Head Coach at Midland University since the 2017-2018 season, is a three-time ACHA Women’s Coach of the Year (2018-2019, 2022-2023, 2023-2024) and won the program’s first ACHA Women’s Division I National Championship during the 2025-2026 season, a thrilling 4-3 triple overtime victory over the defending National Champions from Liberty University. Since taking over the program, he has established the Warriors as one of the premier teams in ACHA Women’s Division 1.
During his tenure, White has a record of 209-89-15 and guided Midland University to seven appearances at the ACHA Women’s Division 1 National Tournament, missing only during their first season and the COVID-shortened 2019-2020 campaign.
White made an immediate impact at Midland University, leading the Warriors to a 19-14-1 record during his first season. It marked the most wins in a season in program history at the time. He has since guided Midland University to five 20-win seasons, highlighted by a 30-2-2 campaign in 2023-24. The Warriors also were Women’s Midwest College Hockey (WMCH) Tournament Champions in 2019 and 2023, and White was awarded the MCH Coach of the Year in both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
A native of Stittsville, Ontario, White attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science and played four seasons for the Mavericks. Following his playing career, he spent two years on the coaching staff at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Before coming to Midland University, White served as the program director and head coach of the Omaha AAA Hockey U18 team from 2006-11. He also spent six years as the rink manager at Sidner Ice Arena, helping grow hockey throughout the Fremont community through youth development.
White and his wife, Ashley, have two daughters, Emerson and Blake, and live in Omaha, Neb.
Also announced to the staff were Assistant Coach Hannah Griffin (Jamestown, N.D.), Director of Player Personnel Chris Lowes (Concord, Va.), Team Doctor Armand McGibbon (Lynchburg, Va.), and Equipment Manager Peter Carson, ATC (Durham, N.C.).
Hired in 2024-2025, Griffin enters her third season as Head Coach at the University of Jamestown after leading the Jimmies to their first appearance in program history at the Women’s Division I National Championships during the 2025-2026 season. Previously, Griffin was an assistant coach at ACHA Women’s Division 1 Midland University, helping the Warriors to a 29-1-2 record during the 2023-24 season. Griffin was the Head Coach at Adrian College from 2019-2022 after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach with the team. During her time with the Bulldogs, Griffin was a part of four consecutive Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association (CCWHA) conference championships as the team accumulated a 136-36-4 record over six seasons. She played for Adrian College from 2009-2012 at the NCAA DIII level and was the inaugural captain of the ACHA Women’s Division 1 team in 2012-2013. Griffin, a native of Lakewood, Colo., played for the Colorado Select Girls organization growing up.
Hailing from Peterborough, Ontario, Lowes played four seasons at Liberty University (1998-2002) while obtaining his degree. Lowes is entering his tenth (10th) season as the Head Coach of the Liberty University Women’s Division I team after serving for nine years as Head Coach of the Liberty University Men’s Division II team. The Lady Flames have enjoyed great success under Coach Lowes winning six National Championships (of the programs seven National Championships). Additionally, the team was ranked No. 1 throughout the 2019-20 season when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the ACHA Women’s Division I National Tournament. Lowes also led the team to six WMCH Tournament Championships during the conference’s seven-year history. Lowes and his wife Lisa are the proud parents of two daughters, Peyton (15) and Shayne (13).
McGibbon and Carson return to the team after previously serving on the staff of both the 2025 Women’s National University Team at the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy and the 2023 World Cup of University Hockey in Cârța, Romania.
The Women’s tournament at the 2027 Changchun Winter Universiade will consist of eight teams split into a pair of four team brackets with each team playing three round-robin games. Group A will consist of Iran, Japan, Slovakia and Student Neutral Athletes from the Russian Federation. Group B will consist of Canada, Czechia, Korea, and the United States. All eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals. The Women’s preliminary round games will be held at the 2,460-seat Nanguan Ice Arena, with the Semifinals and Finals played at the 8,552-seat Changchun Olympic Park Ice Arena.
The ACHA is fielding a United States women’s hockey team for the 7th time at the Winter World University Games.
The 2027 Changchun Winter Universiade will be broadcast to more than 100 countries, reaching over 300 million viewers worldwide. Additional information can be found at changchun2027.com.cn.
Founded in 1949, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) organizes world-class sports and educational events, all with the mission of providing university students with the opportunities to connect and exchange with students from around the world, in a collaborative and competitive environment.
The 2027 Changchun Winter Universiade, also known as the 2027 FISU Winter World University Games, the XXXIII Winter World University Games, or the 33rd Winter Universiade, and commonly known as Changchun 2027, is the largest international winter multi-sport event for student-athletes and will consist of 12 sports and 108 medal events. Featuring more than 2,500 athletes and staff from more than 50 countries in the 18–28-year-old age range, the 13-day event began in 1960 in France and was hosted on American soil in Lake Placid, N.Y., in both 1972 and 2023. This will be the second time that the event will be held in China, after Harbin in 2009.
For more information, please contact ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett at cbarnett@achahockey.org.
# # #
About American Collegiate Hockey Association
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) was founded in 1991 and is the national association for Non-NCAA Collegiate Hockey throughout the United States. Our organization of more than 560 colleges and university-affiliated teams representing 48 states provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes the sport of Hockey nationwide. With approximately 16,000 players and coaches as well as countless volunteers and game officials, the ACHA has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade and continues to be a viable option for college-bound student-athletes to continue playing competitive hockey nationwide. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, the ACHA’s primary mission is to support the growth of Collegiate Hockey while emphasizing academic performance, personal development, and opportunities for regional, national, and international competition. The ACHA identifies standards which serve to unite and regulate teams at the collegiate level and enters its 36th season in September 2026. For more information, visit achahockey.org.
ABOUT UniUSA
UniUSA is the governing body for the United States in all FISU events (Winter and Summer World University Games, World University Championships, and FISU World Cups.) Under the leadership of President Dan Guerrero, and Secretary General Lori Thomas, UniUSA incorporates administrators, student-athletes, and coaches from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), and the College Sports Communicators (CSC). A 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, incorporated in 1968, UniUSA has organized elite teams of American student-athletes in global competition for more than 5 decades.
