The two U.S. teams who will travel to Poland next week to represent U.S. Figure Skating at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2026 finished as the top two teams in the standings at the 2026 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships after the short program Thursday.

The winners of the last two U.S. junior championships, Teams Elite junior set themselves up to win their third straight title, winning the short program with 81.22 points, their highest-ever short program score since the team was founded in 2018.

"I think it goes a lot with our training, and we always talk about skating how we normally do, and I think that we showcased that in tonight's performance," Teams Elite junior skater Kiley Scoleri said. "We practiced pretty much all day, but I think we had a really good skate that we practiced and prepared for."

Just over a point behind, Skyliners junior set a new season's best with 80.18 points.

"[Our performance] felt very calm to me," Skyliners junior skater Stephanie Sze said. "I think we were taking each element one at a time. We weren't really rushing things, and I felt like we were all in the moment and I think that's what really helped us get through it."

With both teams breaking 80 points, this marks the first time a team has broken the 80-point mark at a U.S. Championships since 2019.

Skating to the iconic "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, Teams Elite junior, the reigning World Junior champions, gave a flawless performance, garnering grades of execution of more than 2.07 on every element, including a GOE of 3.00 on their Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection. That element tallied 10.50 points, their highest-scoring element of the performance, and they were the only team to have a single element score double digits.

"Before we take the ice, we take a deep breath as a team," said Scoleri on how the team stays calm. "I think that's something that really sets us together. We hold hands and it really ground everyone together."

Skyliners junior, who are the winningest junior team in the history of the U.S. Championships with seven U.S. titles, earned Level 4s on all five elements during their "gangster" themed program, also claiming GOEs of more than 2.07 on every element.

"Our program starts out, and we're all mysterious and in the zone. The beginning of our music is super intense, so we're intense with the music," Eleanor Goldey of Skyliners junior said. "Then as the program goes on, it gets more victorious. … We robbed a bank, and now we're victorious is how our program goes."

In third place, the Lexettes are in position to defend their bronze medal from last year. Their skate to "Black Book" by Ori that focuses on a theme of "revenge" earned three Level 4 marks for their twizzles, pivoting block and no hold element.

"All season, we've talked about it's about how you feel in that moment when you hit that final pose and you just stare at the judges and the crowd," Lexettes skater Anjeli Garlapati said. "It's everything. That was the goal, to have that feeling tonight."

Positions three through five are separated by just 0.39 points. Right behind the Lexettes in fourth and fifth are Team Image and the Northernettes with 70.61 and 70.53 points, respectively.

Competition continues Thursday with the adult and masters free skates. Then, the juniors return to the ice for their free skate.

For full results, news and more from the 2026 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, visit the event's competition central on the U.S. Figure Skating website.