The Haydenettes are halfway to extending their U.S. Championships winning streak, topping the senior combined short program standings Friday at the 2026 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The most decorated synchronized skating team in U.S. Figure Skating history, the seven-time World Championships medalists are vying for their 16th straight and 33rd total U.S. title.

Teams Elite made history en route to claiming both the novice and juvenile titles. The novice team became the first team in history to win six straight golds in the division at the U.S. Championships, while the juvenile team tallied the highest-ever juvenile score at the U.S. Championships.

The two titles bring Teams Elite's gold medal count at these Championships to three after they won the junior event on Thursday.

Haydenettes are Full Steam Ahead Toward Top of the Podium
Looking to continue the team's legacy and not only win the U.S. championship but make the World Team when it is named after the competition on Saturday, the Haydenettes left nothing on the table, breaking the 80-point mark in the short program for the second time in the last six years with 83.62 points, a new season's best.

Skating to "Crazy Train" by Joseph William Morgan, the Haydenettes performed a darker program that showcased their power, speed and ferocity.

The reigning World bronze medalists, which train at The Skating Club of Boston, were awarded Level 4 designations on their first four elements and set themselves apart with their execution, earning a grade of execution of 2.14 or better on every element. They were the only team to secure a GOE of 3.00 or higher, doing so on two elements. Their opening Level 4 move element collected a massive GOE of 3.30 for 10.30 points and then the day's best Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection with a GOE of 3.21 was the highest-scoring element of the day at 10.71 points.

"The skate felt amazing," Autumn Coulthard, who is in her seventh season with the Haydenettes, said. "Our biggest goal today was to go out and show our love for skating and really put on a show. Tonight wasn't about perfection – we have bigger goals as a team. But it was really just to engage with the audience and enjoy it. We love this music." 

The only other team to score more than 10 points on a single element with 10.07 points for their Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection, the Skyliners earned the second position in the short program standings, also scoring a season's best with 79.27 points.

The 2025 World Team members and 2025 U.S. bronze medalists' performance with a "lose control" theme was spunky and fun. They claimed GOEs of 2.40 or higher on four elements to take a seven-point lead over Teams Elite.

"[It felt] very good. We've been working really hard," said Eli Lichstein, who is skating on the Skyliners for the fourth year. "At our last international (Riga Amber Cup), we felt like we really had a breakout skate, so it felt really good to build on top of that." 

Teams Elite returned as a senior team this year for the first time since the 2022-23 season. They skated as a senior elite 12 team last season.

Giving a season's best performance, Teams Elite kicked off their program with their two strongest elements, a Level 4 synchronized spin and a Level 4 intersection with a Level 3 point of intersection that scored 8.80 and 8.90 points, respectively.

Performing with confidence, yearning and passion to "O mio babbino caro" by Vincent Ott, Teams Elite went on to score 72.23.

"It feels like a payoff," said Abigail Nelson, who was a member of Teams Elite's first senior team in 2022-23 and is in her eight season with the program. "We've been putting in the work consistently and we've felt the same energy that we felt at practice all week and before that, so it feels really good to go out there and feel like it was at practice."  

Miami University, the defending U.S. silver medalists, placed fourth with 70.38 points.

Teams Elite Wins Record-Breaking Sixth Straight U.S. Novice Gold
Teams Elite made history in the novice event, becoming the first novice team to win six straight U.S. titles. The gold also extends their streak of finishing on the podium in the novice event every year since 2017.

The now six-time U.S. champion's "can-can" themed program featured four Level 4 elements. They were the only team to earn more than nine points and a GOE over 2.00 on multiple elements, which they did three times, earning 9.40 points with a GOE of 2.40 on their move element, intersection and twizzles.

Their total score of 109.19 was only 0.21 points off of the highest score all-time in the novice event at the U.S. Championships.

Securing the silver medal and their ninth consecutive podium finish were the Skyliners, which edged out the third-place finishers – the Dazzlers – by only 0.05 points. The Skyliners secured 104.71 points, their best-ever score at the U.S. Championships.

Skating to "El Tango de Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge, the Skyliners garnered Level 4s for their synchronized spin, twizzle element, intersection and move element. Their Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection stood out as the highest-scoring element of the program at 9.43 points.

The silver marks the Skyliners' best result since 2022.

The Dazzlers lived up to their name, clinching their best-ever result at the U.S. Championships with bronze. Their score of 104.66 was also their highest-ever score at the event.

Their "Winterspell" themed program featured four elements that were awarded Level 4 distinctions from the judges, including their intersection which generated an event-high 9.64 points.

Rounding out the podium with pewter were the Ice Mates. The team representing The Skating Club of Boston earned their fourth podium finish in five years at the U.S. Championships with a score of 97.45.

Their skate set to music from West Side Story opened with a Level 4 synchronized spin followed by a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection that both collected over eight points each.

Teams Elite Sits in the Driver's Seat, Winning Third Straight Juvenile Gold
Continuing their winning ways, Teams Elite ran away with the competition to secure their third straight and fourth total U.S. juvenile title.

With a total score of 72.26, Teams Elite is the first juvenile team to break the 70-point mark at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, besting the previous highest score by more than seven points.

Skating to a "start your engines" theme, the team out of Northbrook, Illinois, kept their foot on the gas throughout the entire program. Their no hold element was the highest-scoring element of the competition at 7.37 points. Three elements also received a grade of execution of 1.09 or higher.

With the gold, Teams Elite has stood on the juvenile podium every year the U.S. Championships have been held since 2016.

In a close race to the finish, the remaining podium spots were determined by a difference of just 1.71 points. The Starlights claimed silver, while the Skyliners and Team Image took home bronze and pewter, respectively.

The Starlights' silver marked the first time they have stood on the podium since claiming bronze in 2023 and the best finish in the juvenile event for the team since 2009.

The team that trains in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, came out of the gate strong with a move element that generated 6.77 points during their "under the big top" themed skate. Their highest-scoring element was their intersection at 7.52 points.

Their final score of 65.93 was the highest point total in the team's history at the U.S. Championships.

Like the Starlights, the Skyliners also achieved their highest juvenile score at the U.S. Championships with a final tally of 64.77.

Clinching the bronze, the Skyliners secured their fourth consecutive podium finish at the U.S. Championships.

Skating to a medley of popular line dancing songs, the Skyliners ended their program with their strongest element, a Level 3 move element that contributed 6.77 points to their final total.

Team Image secured their fourth U.S. Championships medal in five years – a pewter – receiving 64.22 points in total for their "Super Mario" themed performance. Their no hold element received a Level 4 mark and 5.64 points.

For full results, how to watch, bio information and more, visit the 2026 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships competition central.