Hannah Kim and Patrick Blackwell secured narrow leads after the junior women's and junior men's short programs, respectively, on Monday evening at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.

Both skaters are clinging to leads of less than one point heading into Tuesday's free skates at the Centene Community Ice Center.

The reigning U.S. junior pairs team of Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy, and their defending U.S. junior champion ice dance counterparts, Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin, lead their respective events heading into the free skate/free dance.

The lead in novice pairs is less than one point, while Rylen Lukanin and Patrick O'Brien enjoy a nearly six-point advantage in novice ice dance.

Kim Takes Narrow Lead in Junior Women's Short Program
Hannah Kim is banking on the adage that the third time is the charm.

The 14-year-old from Cerritos, California, leads the way after the junior women's short program. Ninth a year ago and 11th in her junior debut in 2024, Kim skyrocketed her way into first place with her feisty Tango set to the music "Yo Soy María" by María Volonté.

"It's so exciting. This is my third year, and in my first two years, I was too nervous to enjoy it," Kim said. "This year I was able to actually enjoy it, because I had experienced it before."
 
Coached by Laura Lipetsky, Kim opened with a strong triple flip-triple toe loop combination, earning the leader a whopping 11.94 points. It was the highest-scoring element in the competition by nearly two points. The honor student earned the coveted Level 4 on two of her spins, as well as her step sequence. She heads into the free skate with 62.19 points.

"I was happy with today," she said. "I was actually so surprised, because I didn't really expect a lot in terms of score. It's pretty good considering what I have been scoring in recent competitions."
 
She continued, "I hope to be able to skate clean tomorrow and finish in the top four."
 
Finishing second, 0.31 points behind Kim, is Midwestern Sectional champion Angela Shao. Like Kim, the 15-year-old is in her third season competing on the junior level, having finished in sixth place in 2025 and seventh in her first attempt in 2024. Shao's program to Lucy Thomas's version of the standard, "La Vie En Rose," was playful yet refined, earning a personal-best 61.88 points.
 
"I'm actually happy about it because I did the best that I could, and it was just a good experience," Shao said. "I think my toe-toe was my best element today. I wasn't planning on doing it, but it was pretty good."
 
Shao, who trains in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with coach Tammy Gambill, made no visible mistakes in her routine and earned Level 4 on each of her spins and step sequence. The Cheyenne Mountain High School student's opening triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination got things started with a spark, and the result was nearly three points higher than her previous personal best.
 
"There is nothing like this," she said. "It was fun to see myself on the Jumbotron after I was done. I will focus on controlling my nerves and making the best of the situation tomorrow."
 
In her fourth try, Annika Chao is looking to step on the podium of the junior women's competition for the first time. Fifth in the last two seasons and ninth in 2023, the 16-year-old made great use of her long limbs and balletic style in her interpretation of Yoyo Ma's "The Swan."
 
"I am so grateful to be here," Chao said. "I want to soak up every minute, because it's not always that you get to be at a U.S. Championships and in an Olympic year, so this is really great."
 
The Pacific Coast Sectional champion attempted a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination at the start of her program, in which the second jump was scored as under-rotated. The star of this program, however, was Chao's enchanting interpretation of this skating classic, which culminated with her ending "swan sit" pose. With the top program components in the event, Chao has kept herself in the running for the title, earning 58.78 points.
 
"I felt pretty good," Chao said. "I think that there were definitely things that could have been better. I am glad that I stayed on my feet and had a good program that I thought I performed well."
 
Eighth in last year's competition, Sofia Bezkorovainaya is within reach of her first U.S. Championships medal after finishing fourth with 57.24 points. Skating in memory of her best friend, Everly Livingston, the 15-year-old was overcome with emotion after her performance.
 
"I felt my best friend's presence the entire program," she said through tears.
 
Blackwell Grabs Short Program Lead … Again
For the second consecutive year, Patrick Blackwell won the short program at the 2026 U.S. Championships.

Skating last in the field of 18 junior men, Blackwell delivered a routine to "Uprising" by Muse that included soaring triple Axel to open and a step sequence and change-foot camel spin that generated Level 4s. His segment score of 74.80 gives the Boston-based skater a slim lead over Nicholas Brooks and Caleb Farrington heading into Tuesday's free skate.

"I felt pretty good," Blackwell said. "There were some nervous moments. This is my second nationals experience, so everything is still a little fresh. Overall, my performance had some sloppy mistakes because I was stressed about music; I submitted the wrong file in the beginning, and I just realized that this morning when the event already started so it was too late [to fix]. Otherwise it felt good, pretty solid. I'm happy with my skate."

Blackwell, the 2025 U.S. junior bronze medalist, arrived in St. Louis on a hot streak with wins at Tallinn Trophy and the Eastern Sectional Singles Final.

Brooks, who missed competing at the 2025 U.S. Championships, entertained the audience with his edgy program to Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie" and "Sexyback."

The Colorado Springs-based skater posted a score of 74.24. His program featured an opening triple Axel that received a bonus point and a Level 4 change-foot camel spin.

"I stepped on the ice and I was like, 'I'm going to do this,' so I'm pretty happy about it," Brooks said. "I was [most happy with] having the confidence to just go for everything the way that I wanted to. It might not have turned out perfect, but I felt I did what I wanted to do."

Brooks, fifth in the junior ranks in 2024, arrived as the champion of the Pacific Coast Sectional Singles Final.

Farrington posted a personal-best short program score of 73.71, performing to "Otoño Porteño" by Ástor Piazzolla.

For the first time in competition, Farrington attempted a triple Axel.

"I wasn't supposed to do it," Farrington said. "Larisa [Selezeva] called Oleg [Makarov] and convinced him. I asked him, 'Do you believe in me? I believe in myself. I just need you to believe in me as well.' I fell, but you know what, that's a good start. Not to sound weird, but I'm kind of glad I fell, because I also need to prove to myself that I can skate a good program after a mistake. So I wanted to do the rest of it, grab all the points I can and continue with a smile on my face."

Farrington did just that with three Level 4 spins and a Level 4 step sequence. His triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination earned a whopping and event-high 13.12 points.

Farrington came to St. Louis having won the 2025 Santa Claus Cup and finishing second at the Eastern Sectional Singles Final.

Zachary LoPinto finished fourth with 66.85 points.

Moss and Galbavy Eye Repeat, Lead After Short Program
Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy captured the win in the short program of the junior pairs event as they look to become the first-ever junior pairs team repeat as titlists.

The Minnesota-based team, performing to "Fly Me to the Moon/Lucky" by Rick Hale, received a bonus point for their opening Level 3 triple twist and Level 4 credit for their reverse lasso lift that earned them an event-best 9.10 points.

Their segment score of 61.93 was a personal best as they lead by 4.15 points heading into Tuesday's free skate.

"I feel proud of what we did," Moss said. "I feel like we had a lot of fun. I love performing in an arena with a crowd."

Sofia Jarmoc and Luke Witkowski placed second with a personal-best 57.78 points. The Boston-based team performed an upbeat program to tunes from Bruno Mars. Their Level 3 Axel lasso lift and step sequence highlighted the program.

"We have a great crowd here in St. Louis," Witkowski said. "When you have the energy coming from the people around you, it calms you down a little bit, so I think we did a good job out there keeping our cool during that first stretch of difficult elements, breathing throughout. That allowed us to put on a show, which the crowd helped even more with toward that latter half. So we were happy with that crowd interplay."
Jarmoc and Witkowski are the reigning U.S. junior pewter medalists and 2024 novice champions.

Milada Kovar and Jared McPike finished third in the segment with a personal-best 53.06 points. The Colorado Springs-based team's throw triple Lutz received a bonus point and their reverse lasso lift earned a program-best 7.64 points.

"I know that we have so much more room for growth and one of the big things coming here to nationals was trying our elements and going through the motions and really just being OK with the process of getting better with some harder stuff," McPike said. "So, while there is still some room for growth and improvement in the score and elements, I'm happy with the skate today."

The skaters started their partnership in September 2024.

Addyson McDanold and Aaron Felberbaum placed fourth with 51.71 points.

Aboian and Veselukhin Storm to Lead in Junior Ice Dance
Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin took the first step to repeat as U.S. junior ice dance champions by winning the rhythm dance with a personal-best score.

The Connecticut-based team performed flawlessly to Madonna's classic "Vogue" and posted a personal-best score of 71.68, 8.12 points more than the second-place team of Jasmine Robertson and Chase Rohner.

"It feels awesome," Aboian said. "We did everything exactly the way we wanted to today."

"We put in a lot of hard work, and we are happy with the results," Veselukhin added.

Fresh off their victory at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and undefeated on the season, Aboian and Veselukhin didn't miss a beat. They received Level 4s on their sequential twizzles and generated an event-high 11.04 points for their midline step sequence.

Aboian and Veselukhin are undefeated this season in five events.

Robertson and Rohner continued their productive first season together with a solid U.S. Championships debut. The Michigan-based team posted a personal-best score of 63.56; they earned Level 4 for their sequential twizzles and program-high of 9.91 points for their midline step sequence.

"There was good energy, which made it easier to perform," Rohner said.

After partnering up in January of 2025, the skaters broke onto the competitive scene by placing at both of their Junior Grand Prix events and qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final last fall.

"I'm super proud of how far we've come and how much we've accomplished so far," Robertson said.

"We've put in a lot of work this year and it's good to see the progress here," Rohner said.

Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo placed third in the segment with 58.81 points, a personal-best rhythm dance score.

"Once the music started playing it felt very familiar and I got confident and stable in my own body and I was easily about to focus," Kouevi said.

"The way we skated is how we skate in practice," Homawoo said. "So it also felt very familiar to me."

Kouevi and Homawoo finished ninth at the 2025 U.S. Championships in the junior ranks and earned bronze in the novice division in 2024.

Jane Calhoun and Mark Zheltyshev finished fourth in the rhythm dance with 58.61 points.

Chen and Yacktman Pace Novice Pairs Field
Amelia Chen and Tristan Yacktman lead the novice pairs field after the short program. The duo trains in Cedar Rock, Texas, under the tutelage of two-time U.S. pairs champion Keauna McLaughlin.

They nailed each of their required elements, including a Level 4 lift and Level 4 change-foot combination spin. They head into tomorrow's free skate with 41.33 points.

Trailing the leaders by a little more than half a point, Olivia Jung and Laz Lune opened their routine with a small mistake on the double twist lift but earned a one-point bonus on their double Axels. The pair, who captured the sectionals title in November, train in southern California with Olympic coach Jenni Meno. They finished with 40.77 points.

Houston-based Tiffany Kim and Ian Spencer finished in third place with 32.91 points, while Lauren Ji and Luciano Chen from South Carolina, a late addition to the field, finished in fourth with 31.70 points.
 
Lukanin and O'Brien Seize Lead After Novice Pattern Dances
Rylen Lukanin and Patrick O'Brien breezed to the lead by winning both novice pattern dances on Monday morning.

The New Jersey residents posted a combined score of 54.92 with their performances to the U.S. Starlight Waltz and Quickstep. They lead second-place Sophia Kartashov and Nicholas Kartashov of Florida by 5.82 points heading into Tuesday's novice free dance.

Lukanin and O'Brien arrived in St. Louis as the 2026 U.S. Ice Dance Final champions.

Natalie Leitan and Nathan Leitan of Maryland finished third with 45.28 points, while Pennsylvania's Katherine Li and James Zhu sit fourth at 44.20.

To follow the competition, including live results, how to watch information and more, visit the U.S. Figure Skating website.