Team USA Secures Two Medals at Ondrej Nepela Memorial

In her Challenger Series debut, Isabeau Levito won gold with two confident programs, while Eva Pate and Logan Bye continued their success this season with a silver medal finish, adding another two medals to Team USA's haul this season at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial.
 
Levito, the 2022 World Junior champion, won both the short program and free skate to take the top step of the podium.
 
Her tango short program to "Una Noche Mas" by Yasmin Levy began with a triple flip and included two Level Four spins and a Level Four step sequence, scoring 65.37 points. With a triple Lutz-triple loop to open her long program as well as a triple flip, a double Axel and a Level Four step sequence, the 2022 U.S. bronze medalist's free skate to "Dulcea Si Tandra Mea Fiara" by Catalina Caraus & Eugen Doga earned 133.62 points to give her 198.99 points overall.
 
Her overall score was over 30 points greater than that of the second-place finisher, Lara Naki Gutmann of Italy (166.24), and bronze medalist Haein Lee of Korea (164.88). It also marks Levito's second gold of the season as she clinched first at the 2022 Philadelphia Summer International to open her season.
 
After finishing 10th in the short program with 42.07 points, Alena Budko gave a strong free skate performance, claiming sixth in the free program to place sixth overall in her first international outing for Team USA. Her long program to "Send in the Clowns" started with a double Axel and also included a Level Four flying sit spin, scoring 102.13 points for a total score of 144.20.
 
In the ice dance competition, Pate and Bye brought home their second straight Challenger Series medal after they also earned silver at the 2022 U.S International Figure Skating Classic.
 
In their energetic rhythm dance to music from the film Rio, Pate and Bye placed second, scoring 72.31 points. The program included a Level Four rotating lift and a Level Four twizzle sequence. Their Riverdance free dance scored 106.38 thanks to a Level Four dance spin and a Level Three combination lift, and their strong performances kept them in second place to secure a silver medal with 178.69 points overall.
 
Oona Brown and Gage Brown put out two assured performances in their senior international debut. They placed sixth in their rhythm dance (59.48) and fifth in the free dance (101.14) to finish in fifth place. The free dance included a Level Four twizzle sequence, a Level Four dance spin and a Level Four combination lift. They scored 160.62 points overall in their first competition of the season.
 
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada won the gold with a score of 193.35 while Marie Dupayage and Thomas Nabais of France claimed bronze with 165.78 points.
 
The next Challenger Series event will be the Finlandia Trophy October 5-9 in Espoo, Finland. Keep up with the Challenger Series skating action by visiting the Challenger Series Competition Central.