By Gina Capellazzi, Team FSO website administrator
Photos by Robin Ritoss
St. Louis, MO — It’s being called one of the best women’s events at the U.S. Championships in years. That’s because the final six women to skate their free skate laid down one strong performance after another, all going for the coveted title of being named the U.S. Champion.
But it was Amber Glenn that came out on top and clinched her third straight U.S. title at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. With the win, the 26-year-old from the Dallas Figure Skating Club, became the first U.S. woman to win three consecutive gold medals since Michelle Kwan, who won eight straight from 1998-2005.
Glenn was the leader after the short program, less than two points ahead of reigning World champion Alysa Liu. (something else about SP). In her “I Will Find You” and “The Return” free skate, Glenn landed a triple Axel, which was called slightly under-rotated. She cleanly landed a triple flip-triple toe combination, along with a triple loop-double Axel-double Axel sequence. Her only other mistake was with her triple loop, which was called under-rotated. She earned a free skate score of 150.50, which was first in the segment, and a total score of 233.55 to win the event.
“I’m still in disbelief, honestly. The ladies were on fire this competition and I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come as far as Team USA,” Glenn said following the free skate. “I had, of course, a performance of my life on Wednesday and was so happy with it and going forward I want to bring the same energy to my free skate. I think I stayed calm and handled the pressure well, but I really want to get that same exciting feeling that I did in the short program into the free skate going forward.”
Skating just ahead of Glenn was Liu. The two-time U.S. Champion debuted her revamped Lady Gaga program, which she competed earlier this season at Lombardia Trophy. Following that competition, she returned to her successful MacArthur Park free skate from the 2024-2025 season while her and her team continued to develop that program. In the free skate, the 20-year-old representing the St. Moritz Ice Skating Club cleanly landed five triple jumps, but her triple lutz and triple loop were called slightly under-rotated. She earned a free skate score of 147.80, which was third in the segment, but she managed to claim her second straight U.S. silver medal with a total score of 228.91.
“I think I liked it,” Liu said in the press conference following the free skate. “I have to watch it. I’m a visual critic of myself, but it felt pretty good. I was confident out there and I did see the protocol [sheet], and I need to get the rotations. I’m going to work on that. Other than that, I’m happy and proud of how we all did. Someone said they really enjoyed watching it and I agree.”
In third place after the short program was 2023 U.S. Champion Isabeau Levito. In her Cinema Paradiso free skate, the 18-year-old from the Skating Club of Southern New Jersey executed six clean triples. Her only mistake was her triple toe in her opening triple flip-triple toe was under-rotated. She earned a free skate score of 148.73, which was second in the segment, but she retained the third spot to win her third U.S. bronze medal with a score of 224.45.
“I’m satisfied with my performance today. I think it reflected the training I put in prior to this competition,” Levito said following her skate. “There was some extra pressure in terms of having to do it right here, right now; it was my first time at Nationals in an Olympic year being age-eligible for the Olympics. So I was glad to rely on my training to get through programs with no big problems.”
Given their success on the Grand Prix Series this season and the fact that all three women finished in the top 5 at the 2025 World Championships in Boston last March, it is expected that Glenn, Liu and Levito will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team. The announcement will take place Sunday, Jan. 11.
2018 Olympic team bronze medalist Bradie Tennell headed into the U.S. Championships, hoping to make her second Olympic team. The road back to the Olympics has been a challenge for the soon-to-be 28-year-old, who withdrew from the 2021-22 Olympic season because of a foot injury, and also dealt with an ankle injury that caused her to miss the 2023-2024 season.
After finishing fourth at both of her Grand Prix events this season, Tennell went on to win the Golden Spin of Zagreb Challenger Series event. In fifth place after the short program at the 2026 U.S. Championships, Tennell, who represents the Skating Club of New York, had an almost clean “The Mission” free skate. She executed six clean triples and her only mistake was her triple toe in her triple Lutz-triple toe combination was called slightly under-rotated. She earned a free skate score of 141.95, which was fourth in the segment. She moved up to claim her second-straight U.S. pewter medal with a total score of 211.48.
I don’t know if I can adequately describe the way [I feel] putting a program like that out at Nationals in an Olympic year,” Tennell said. “I’ve been dreaming of that moment for four years. Every hardship, every struggle, every moment where I doubted myself, sitting there at center ice after having done a program like that, I felt so much pride and so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude and so much love for the sport. It’s brought me so much of everything – pain, suffering and so many amazing opportunities. This is what you dream about.”
2025 U.S. bronze medalist and Four Continents bronze medalist Sarah Everhardt, who was fourth after the short program, finished fifth overall. Like the others, she had a strong Poor Things free skate, with just two jumps being called slightly under-rotated. She earned a free skate score of 138.37, which was fifth in the segment. The 19-year-old from the Washington Figure Skating Club earned a total score of 209.47.
Rounding out the top six was 2025 U.S. Junior Champion Sophie Joline von Felten. The 16-year-old from the Skating Club of Boston, who was the third-ever U.S. woman to land a quad jump, did not do an quadruple jumps in St. Louis. She did, however, land to two triple Axels, one in combination with a double-toe. In her senior Nationals debut, she earned a free skate score of 130.12, which was sixth in the segment. She moved up from seventh after the short program to finish sixth with a total score of 190.80.
The women’s Olympic Team announcement is happening on Sunday live on NBC. Following the show, U.S. Figure Skating will also announce the alternates for the Olympic team, along with the women who will be competing at the Four Continents Champonships, Junior World Championships and World Championships.
