The last time
Bradie Tennell was on U.S. Championships ice, she was receiving the gold medal and being nominated to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team.
She entered the 2019 GEICO U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit the reigning champion, with pressure and expectations and all eyes on her. In typical
Bradie Tennell fashion, she delivered.
Tennell scored 76.60 points for her short program, a new all-time high at the U.S. Championships (with the new +5 Grade of Execution taken into consideration), to lead the field following the short program.
"I'm really happy with how I skated tonight," Tennell said post-skate. "It was super fun to be back out there on championship ice. There's nothing quite like it."
Tennell skated a clean program to "Rebirth" by Hi-Finesse. Though inconsistent at times this season, it peaked at the right moment to put her in prime position to take home a second national title.
"I went out there and I just did what I do every day, and I just enjoyed my performance," Tennell said. "There really wasn't much thinking involved. I just kind of go on autopilot and get in the zone and just enjoy it."
Tennell rocketed to international prominence with her surprise bronze-medal performance at 2017 Bridgestone Skate America, which instantly put her in the conversation to make the Olympic Team. She won her national title the following January and went on to place ninth in PyeongChang, in addition to her bronze medal in the team competition.
It's a far cry from where she was just two years ago, when she placed ninth at the U.S. Championships.
"It's a little different," Tennell said of being the defending champion for the first time at the nation's premier figure skating event. "All the little sweepers, they're really cute. They know me now, so that's kind of fun. I think last year felt like a little bit more pressure than this year because there was so much at stake. But any time I'm here, I love it and I'm just excited to be out there. So I kind of just go out there and focus on myself and what I need to do."
At Tennell's two Grand Prix assignments this season, Skate America and Internationaux de France, she placed fourth and third, respectively.
Less than three points behind Tennell on the leaderboard is 13-year-old
Alysa Liu. The phenom scored 73.89 points for her short program set to "Don't Rain On My Parade" by Barbara Streisand.
Still too young to compete internationally at the junior and senior levels, Liu landed a clean and impressive triple Axel, gaining 10.17 points with one element, in her short program.
"I was really happy because I did everything I wanted to do," she said through tears of relief after her program. "I was a little nervous, but I was just really excited to even be here."
Liu is competing at the senior level at the U.S. Championships for the first time. She won the junior title in 2018, won the novice pewter medal in 2017 and is the 2016 intermediate champion.
With her performance in Detroit, she could be on her way to adding her name to a list of young skaters – predominantly Russian – looking to take over the figure skating world as soon as they're old enough.
"I still watch international skaters," Liu said. "I actually really like them. A lot of them are inspirations to me. I think I need a quad to keep up with them because a few of them have quads."
The pint-sized Liu is still getting used to the trappings that come with success on the big stage – she admitted to being overwhelmed at the post-event press conference and could barely see over the microphone on the table in front of her – but has thus far proven to be immune for the expectations people have for her.
"I don't feel too much pressure, but I don't really go online to look at that stuff," Liu said. "I don't look at most of it."
Mariah Bell sits in third place with 70.30 points for her program to "To Love You More" by Celine Dion,
choreographed by Olympic Team Event bronze medalist and former training mate Adam Rippon. She skated nearly clean, with a mistake on her triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination.
"The performance felt really great," Bell said. "I'm pretty disappointed in myself on the combo because I'm capable of doing a perfect triple Lutz-triple toe, and it hasn't quite come together for me in competition yet this season. It did a few times, but I've kind of been held back by those under(rotations). So I think it's just a process."
With her third-place finish at the U.S. Championships in 2017, Bell is one of the veterans of the ladies field with stalwarts like
Ashley Wagner,
Mirai Nagasu and
Gracie Gold not competing in Detroit. Though she finished fifth in 2018 and missed making the Olympic Team, she's finished 12
th at the last two ISU World Figure Skating Championships.
This season, she finished fourth at Skate Canada International and fifth at NHK Trophy.
"I definitely feel like I've put in my time, and now I'm starting to see that pay off, and I think it's just a matter of continuing to sort of put my name out there and skate successfully," Bell said. "In just this nationals, Bradie and I are the only two of the top five last year. So you kind of see a switch in the top ladies. I'm just really looking forward to these next four years because I definitely feel like I'm in a great position. I'm kind of just excited to continue to build.
"And I'm going to be on that team in 2022, I'm sure of it!"
Amber Glenn rounds out the top four, earning 69.86 points for her short program to "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles.
"My last two years I've had a fall on something, and it was just so close," Glenn said. "And now that I've finally done a clean skate in the short, I feel more confident than ever going into the free."
The 2014 U.S. junior champion, Glenn has never finished better than eighth at the senior level at U.S. Championships. She finished with that placement twice in 2017 and 2018.
"I've been to my fair share of national championships, and having come so close so many times, this last year after having an Olympic year, I felt that extra budge that this could really be my breakthrough," Glenn said. "I'm not 14 anymore. I have more control of my skating and what I'm doing. I had an early start, which was great. And I just tried to keep the ball rolling."
The ladies competition concludes with the free skate on Friday evening, Jan. 25, at Little Caesars Arena. Watch live, on-demand and commercial-free with the
Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold.
