Haydenettes and Miami University Named to U.S. World Synchronized Skating Team

The Haydenettes and Miami University were selected to represent Team USA at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2023 in Lake Placid, New York, March 31-April 1. 
 
In addition to being the winningest synchronized skating team in U.S. Figure Skating history, the Haydenettes reached another incredible milestone in Peoria, Illinois, at the 2023 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships as they clinched their 30th U.S. title and 13th straight gold, breaking the record for the highest score in the event's history.  
 
The Haydenettes will enter the World Championships as five-time World bronze medalists, the last coming in 2016. Earlier this season, the team out of The Skating Club of Boston earned silver at the 2023 Mozart Cup. 
 
"It means everything to us," said Haydenettes team member Cameron Feeley of making the World Team. "In 2020, we were supposed to have a home Worlds in Lake Placid then. [I] was on the team back then, but a lot of the team is new. I think getting to skate there and skate at a home Worlds for ourselves, for the team and for the past Haydenettes who are no longer with the team means so much to us and really just to skate at home in front of our families, our friends and everyone means so much while also going for that World title, which is always our ultimate goal at the end of the season."

Miami University will skate at the World Championships for the second straight year after securing silver at the U.S. Championships and their best score ever at the U.S. Championships. In 2007, they claimed the best result by a U.S. team ever at the World Championships with silver. 
 
"I think what's going to be really special is getting to have the same crowd in New York with us," Miami University team member Brittney Rivelli said of skating on home ice at Worlds. "I think they're what brings out the passion in skating for us because our parents are the ones who got us in the sport and stuck with us so long, so we want to be able to share that joy with everyone."

The Skyliners have been named as the first alternate with Teams Elite as the second alternate. 

Earlier in the day, Miami University won their 21st collegiate title while Team Image and Teams Elite earned the juvenile and novice titles, respectively. 
 
SENIOR FREE SKATE

For many years, the Haydenettes have been the team to beat in synchronized skating in the United States. This year, they added to their legacy, winning their 30th U.S. title by more than 20 points.

Scoring 165.36 for their free skate and 244.45 points overall, the Haydenettes claimed the highest-ever score at the U.S. Championships by more than 13 points. Their performance to "Quest for Souls" by David Marsden not only received positive grades of execution on every element but strong GOEs, the majority above 2.0. The team based out of Norwood, Massachusetts, cleanly executed seven Level 4 elements and three elements that earned more than 10 points – their group lift and both intersections.
 
"It's incredible to be part of such a huge legacy," Feeley said. "We feel grateful every single day to train with Saga and Lee and Ashley, all of our coaches, and work with all of our staff there at Hayden. We're so grateful and we really worked super hard every single year so that we can maintain our championship title … We put out our best, so we're very pleased with that." 
 
Skating last, their fate in their own hands, and looking to build off the program's momentum after the Miami University collegiate team had just won gold, Miami University performed six Level 4 elements during their "Ode to Joy" by Karl Hugo program, including their pivoting block and move element, which both received more than nine points. They were awarded 150.07 points for their free skate.
 
Clinching the silver for the second straight year, Miami University secured their highest-ever score at the U.S. Championships with 223.63 points.
 
"It just felt like a culmination of the whole season so far," Rivelli said. "I think we've been growing this program since we were competing in Anaheim, but I feel like tonight we had all the people we love with us and were finally able to put it all out there. I think we have even more room to grow, but we gave all we had at this point and we're ready to bring that to Lake Placid." 
 
Like Miami University, the Skyliners earned their highest-ever score at the U.S. Championships with a score of 220.09, standing on the podium with the bronze medal. The team out of the Skating Club of New York has now finished in the top three every year the event has been held since 2015.
 
Skating to music from SIX The Musical, the Skyliners tallied 148.20 points for their free skate that included six straight Level 4 elements, including their group lift – which was their highest scoring element.
 
"It felt amazing," said Skyliners team member Hailey Molin of their skate. "I felt the team pushing through each and every element and we were just fighting so hard to work together and have the best skate of our lives and of the season. We just really put it all out there." 
 
Rounding out the top four with the pewter medal was Teams Elite, who stood on the podium on the podium in their inaugural season at the senior level. Their skate to a medley of Britney Spears songs featured a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection – their highest-scoring element.
 
Teams Elite scored 142.28 points in the free skate for a score of 213.10 overall.

"It felt great," said Teams Elite team member Rena Knysz. "I really thought that we worked together as a team and were just saying, 'All in.' I really felt that on the ice, especially with all the arm movements – just felt the energy." 
 
COLLEGIATE FREE SKATE

Miami University ran away with the collegiate title, continuing their legacy of dominance having won the event all but five years since its inception in 1997.

Performing to "Last Dance," Miami U niversity earned all positive grades of execution and claimed Level 4s on five elements. They opened with their Level 4 move element before earning their highest marks on their two Level 4 intersections with Level 4 points of intersection. The program then culminated with their Level 4 travel element and synchronized spin, receiving 104.61 points from the judges.

"It was absolutely amazing," Miami University team member Natalie Mispagel said. "We came here to do one job and our goal this whole season has been to skate for love, and I think you could really feel out there the love we have for each other and the sport of synchronized skating and how much we all really wanted to do it." 

The University of Michigan brought home the silver medal while Western Michigan University and Trine University stood on the podium with bronze and pewter, respectively.

With a criminal-themed free skate that included six Level 4 elements for a score of 92.61, the University of Michigan has now finished in the top three seven out of the last eight years this event has been held.

"We're just so unbelievably proud of what we put out there," University of Michigan team member Dina Sapiro said. "It's been a really long road and it's amazing to be able to put the best skate we possibly could in that moment and to skate to music that we absolutely love." 

A jungle theme free skate that featured five Level 4 elements, including strong move and twizzle elements, propelled Western Michigan to the bronze medal with a score of 91.43. The podium finish marks their second straight bronze medal at the U.S. Championships.
 
"There was definitely a lot of added pressure," said Western Michigan University team member Josie Holecko. "I think this season has been about not comparing ourselves from last year and just driving through passion and not thinking about the past, just thinking about now and how we're going to level up again." 
 
Winning the pewter by 0.10, Trine University tallied a score of 90.58. Their Bond girls-themed free skate was awarded all positive grades of execution and three Level 4 elements, highlighted by a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection.
 
NOVICE 

No team had yet to break the 90-point mark in the history of the novice competition. On Saturday, three teams did just that with Teams Elite setting the highest-ever mark with 94.59 points for their third straight novice title.

Ice Mates and the Skyliners placed second and third with scores of 92.51 and 91.88, respectively. Team Image rounded out the top four with 88.00 points.

Teams Elite, which scored 94.59, started their performance to a medley Spice Girls songs with their strongest element, a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection, which received more than 10 points. Four more Level 4 elements ensured the three-peat.

"We were just shocked," Teams Elite team member Quintin McCormick said. We didn't know we had that in ourselves. We've had self-doubt this entire season because these are these amazing teams that can do so much more and then there's us from Illinois, so when we got the score, we were all very proud of ourselves for the work we put into this."
 
With the silver medal, the Ice Mates earned a top-three placement for the first time since 2018. Improving on their score from the 2023 Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships by more than 13 points, Ice Mates totaled 92.51 for their performance to a "Find A Way Home" theme.
 
The team representing the Skating Club of Boston overcame a fall on their no hold element, earning the highest component scores of the competition and a Level 4 designation on four elements.
 
Finishing in the top three every year the event has been held since 2017, the Skyliners received the second-highest total element score of the competition. They collected Level 4 marks on four elements – their traveling element, twizzle element, no hold element and move element – for a score of 91.88.

For Team Image, a Romeo and Juliet-themed performance that obtained Level 4s on the final four elements secured the pewter with 88.00 points.

JUVENILE

The juvenile competition, which features the youngest skaters of the event, saw Team Image win its first gold medal in the discipline and set the record for the highest score in the history of the U.S. Championships at the juvenile level since switching to the IJS scoring system. Teams Elite earned the silver, the Skyliners claimed bronze and the Starlights brought home the pewter.

Their second straight year on the podium, Team Image took the top step of the podium with a score of 64.84, improving on their result at the 2023 Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships by nearly 10 points.

Their rock and roll-themed program received the highest component scores of the competition. Combined with all positive grades of execution, Team Image secured the crown over Teams Elite by just over one point.

"I think going into it, we just really wanted to put out our best skate and I'm so happy that we did," said Charlotte Senitta, who has been skating with Team Image for five years. "We really were able to showcase how far we've come this whole season."

Teams Elite was awarded the highest total element score of the event. The 2022 U.S. champions' difficulty built throughout the performance, ending with a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection that tied for the highest-scoring element of the competition.

The Illinois-based team tallied 63.47 points for their outer space-themed performance. They have now finished in the top three at the last three U.S. Championships.

A team that is used to being on the podium, with their bronze medal the Skyliners have now earned a top-three result 12 of the last 13 years the U.S. Championships have been held.
 
Performing to a "Sky Love NY" theme, the Skyliners opened with their intersection, their highest-scoring element, and were awarded 58.50 points.
 
With a superheroes-themed performance that scored 54.63, the Starlights returned to the podium for the first time since 2018.