Bradie Tennell leads in the ladies competition, and Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were the top team in the pairs short program after the first night of competition at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which are taking place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Tennell (Skokie Valley SC), who won the U.S. title in 2018, earned 79.40 points in her short program, set to “Moderation” by Florence and The Machine.
“I’m really happy with the way I skated tonight,” Tennell said. “I think I really went out there and attacked it. I did what I’ve been training. I’m really happy with everything that has gone on this year I was able to put out a performance that I’m really proud of.”
Alysa Liu (St. Moritz ISC), who has stood atop the podium for the last two seasons, is in second with 76.36 points. Mariah Bell (Rocky Mountain FSC), who finished a career-best second place in 2020, is in third with 72.37 points.
Along with Karen Chen (Peninsula SC) who is currently in fourth place, three former U.S. champions all head into the free skate in podium position.
The ladies free skate takes place on Friday night and will be televised live on NBC from 8-11 p.m.
In the pairs competition, the tandem of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (DuPage FSC/All Year FSC) lead heading into Saturday’s pairs free skate. The duo, who teamed up in March, earned 77.46 points.
“I have so many emotions. I already cried once I got off the kiss and cry,” Knierim said immediately following their performance. “All positive emotions, of course. We just worked so hard. I can’t even describe the work we put in to get here.”
Knierim previously skated with her husband, Chris, who retired last season. The former partnership won the U.S. title in 2020.
Fellow training mates Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson (DuPage FSC/Detroit SC) are in second place with 71.30 points. The Boston-based pair of Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov (SC of Boston) placed third in the short program with 69.56 points.
Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc (SC of New York/Los Angeles FSC) are in fourth place with 65.81.
On Friday, the rhythm dance will kick off competition for the day from 4-6 p.m. on NBCSN and will be followed by the ladies free skate. In addition to coverage on NBC and NBCSN, fans can watch every skater live on Peacock Premium. Fans can also visit U.S. Figure Skating’s virtual fan experience here.
