MADISON, Wis. – After serving as an alternate captain last year, Wisconsin women's hockey senior Sydney McKibbon will serve as the Badgers' captain for the 2016-17 season, Wisconsin women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson announced Monday.

McKibbon will be assisted by three alternate captains – seniors Ann-Renee Desbiens, Sarah Nurse and Jenny Ryan – this season.

A native of Oakville, Ontario, McKibbon recorded 36 points last season off nine goals and 27 assists. McKibbon's shining moment of the 2015-16 campaign came in the WCHA Final Face-Off championship game as she tallied the game winner in UW's 1-0 win over Minnesota to clinch the program's second-straight playoff crown. She led UW with a faceoff percentage of .605, which ranked fourth in the league.

"It's a tremendous honor to be chosen as captain," McKibbon said. "It is something that I take a lot of pride in. We definitely have a lot of leaders in the locker room this year and we all have a common goal in mind as a group."

The 2016 USCHO.com Player of the Year, Desbiens is the third goaltender to serve as an alternate captain, joining Jesse Vetter and Alex Rigsby. Desbiens rewrote the NCAA record books during the 2015-16 season, setting new national records for goals-against average (0.76), save percentage (.960) and shutouts (21).

Nurse, the 2015 WCHA Final Face-Off Most Outstanding Performer, recorded a team-high 25 goals last season to earn All-WCHA Third-Team honors. Nurse's 38 points ranked third on the team and 11th in the WCHA. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also led UW last season with 228 shots on net.  

An alternate captain last year, Ryan garnered All-WCHA Second Team honors after recording 32 points off eight goals and 24 assists. In addition, her 0.80 points per game average ranked eighth in the NCAA among defensemen. The Victor, New York, native also recorded a +55 plus/minus rating, which was tied for the second-best mark on the Badgers.