Photo credit Getty Images
By Troy Schwindt and Kristen Henneman
The Haydenettes and Skyliners were selected to represent Team USA at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2025 after they clinched gold and bronze, respectively, at the 2025 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
For the Haydenettes, the most decorated synchronized skating team in U.S. Figure Skating history, the win marked their 15th consecutive U.S. championship and 32nd total gold.
They will travel to Helsinki, Finland, as the reigning World silver medalists and have skated at every World Championships since the event’s inception in 2000.
“We’re really proud to represent the athletes in this country and we’re really proud of the hard work that all of the teams put in every year and we’re hoping to make them proud out there,” third-year Haydenette Rosa Hahn said. “We know we’re making ourselves proud and we’re just really honored to have the opportunity to continue skating, continue sharing these programs and share it with the audience [in Finland] and have them feel the joy that we feel when we skate.”
Punching their ticket to the World Championships for the second straight year, the Skyliners claimed the bronze medal in Colorado Springs, securing a place in the top three for the 10th straight year.
“With having such a new team, this is such an honor for everybody in a different way than the Challenger Series and international series,” second-year Skyliner Alise Schneider. It’s something that our hard work really goes toward and it’s such an honor.”
Miami University was named as the first alternate.
Earlier in the day, Teams Elite won their third and fourth gold of the U.S. Championships, claiming U.S. titles in the novice and intermediate events. This marks the second straight year that Teams Elite has swept the juvenile, intermediate, novice and junior events and only the third time the feat has been achieved in the history of the event (Skyliners won all four in 2017).
Haydenettes’ Winning Streak Continues
The Haydenettes’ dynasty in U.S. synchronized skating continued to grow in Colorado Springs as they won their 32nd total and 15th straight U.S. title.
The six-time World medalists produced the top free skate of the day with 150.94 points for a two-day total of 229.71. Both are new season’s bests.
“It’s such an honor to be part of a legacy this big and this special and to see all of the past Haydenettes and hopefully future Haydenettes up in the stands watching,” said Autumn Coulthard, who is in her sixth year with the Haydenettes. “Our goal tonight was to just inspire them and put out raw emotion, and it’s an honor to be a part of that.”
Skating to "Caves" by Cody Fry and "Eleanor Rigby" by Joshua Bell and Frankie Moreno, the Haydenettes theme for their free skate is “lonely people.” They portray how everyone knows the feeling of being alone and being without the support they need, and show the power of sports, friendships and community and how they can empower people.
The performance featured six Level 4 elements, including a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection that garnered 10.18 points – the highest-scoring element of the event.
Miami University clinched the silver medal while the Skyliners earned bronze and Hayden Select claimed the pewter. All three teams secured seasons’ bests for their free skate and total scores.
The silver medalists three of the last four years, Miami University tallied a free skate and total score of 140.11 and 210.15 points, respectively.
The RedHawks’ performance to "The Trio" and "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone and "Daughter" by Beyonce was highlighted by their Level 4 group lift right in front of their fanbase. It was their highest-scoring element at 10.07 points.
“That performance felt bigger than life,” Miami University senior Katie McDonnell said. “Our coach just gave us the analogy in the locker room that this season has been a lot like our long program and we’re at the end of our program where it is big, it is loud and we were here to make an impact on the national championships and I think that’s exactly what we did out there.”
Telling the story of an understudy who wanted to work hard to be the lead in the play, the Skyliners earned Level 4s on eight elements, including their Level 4 group lift and their second Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection, which was the final element of the skate. Both elements generated nearly 10 points.
The Skyliners finished the segment with 141.03 points, which was second in the free skate standings, for 209.51 points overall. Although it wasn’t enough to overcome Miami University’s lead after the short program, the Skyliners continued their medal streak as they have stood on the podium for 10 straight years.
“We really skated as a team,” Skyliners skater Alise Schneider said. “It was less about the score and more for us. This is for us. This is our moment. We're going to do our jobs and we’re just going to go out there and have fun.”
In the first year of the senior combined event with senior and senior elite 12 teams competing in the same division, Hayden Select took the pewter medal.
The two-time U.S. senior elite 12 champions tallied 134.53 points for their program that contained five Level 4 elements and told the story of infection spreading throughout the team. They finished with 203.20 points total.
“It was really fun. We’ve worked so hard on this program,” said Christie Williams, who has skated all three years since Hayden Select was formed. “It's come so far since we first got the concept from our coach Taylor [Stender]. It’s so wacky and weird like us. It was such a great way to end it.”
Teams Elite Notches Fifth Consecutive Novice Crown
Teams Elite captured the spirit of the masked swordsman, Zorro, en route to their fifth consecutive novice title.
Wearing black tops and red dresses, the team from Northbrook, Illinois, showcased their speed and unison to a wide range of music. They were the only team to break the 100-point mark, posting a score of 103.51, which included an all-out opening intersection and Level 4s on three other elements.
“I love the different music,” Elizabeth Shopp, who has skated with Teams Elite for six years, said. “We have intensity at the beginning, and in the middle, it gets very emotional and then we go back to really strong and powerful. I really like how we demonstrate all the different emotions that we are feeling in the program within our elements.”
With the win, the Teams Elite program sewed up a juvenile-junior sweep for the second consecutive year. It is also their fifth title, which skater Keira Keegstra said, came with some welcome pressure.
“As a team we do really well with pressure and we channel that into working harder,” she said.
The Ice Mates carted home the silver medal with a score of 99.25, their highest score ever at the U.S. Championships. Their Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection generated a program-high 9.32 points. The team from Norwood, Massachusetts, performed to the theme of “We Overcome the Wind.”
The Ice Mates have now claimed the silver medal two of the last three years.
The Skyliners, from Fairfield, Connecticut, earned the bronze medal with their performance to “Sweet Dreams.”
Wearing costumes that had the look of a clear, starry night, the Skyliners floated seamlessly from one element to next en route to a score of 96.74.
Their opening synchronized spin earned them a program-high 8.45 points; they earned Level 4s on five elements.
The Skyliners have finished in the top three for eight consecutive seasons, and as the bronze medalists the past three seasons.
The Northernettes captured their first U.S. Championships medal, earning the pewter with a score of 91.86.
Teams Elite Rolls to Victory, Posts All-Time High Score
Teams Elite posted an all-time high intermediate score of 88.32 to repeat as champions.
Wearing magenta dresses with green-neon highlights, the team from Northbrook, Illinois, took its “work out” program to the next level. From start to finish, Teams Elite’s high-energy and precision execution was on full display.
“We’ve been working really hard,” said Penelope Pollack, who has skated with Teams Elite for nine years. “For the past couple of weeks, when we found out we qualified for nationals, we started to going to practice with our masks on, doing runs and sections, to help with our breathing.”
Their upbeat program, skater Abigail Chang said, was fun to perform and easy to embrace. The first song (“Stronger”) is one from Kayne West and “it gets your energy up.”
Their move and no hold elements each received a Level 4.
Teams Elite now has four U.S. titles in the intermediate ranks and has stood on the podium every year the event has been held since 2018.
As they did a year ago, Capital Ice Chips secured the silver medal with their entertaining performance to a medley of songs by Usher.
The team from Bismark, North Dakota, delivered a score of 82.88. Their intersection generated a program-high 7.40 points.
Capital Ice Chips won the intermediate title in 2023.
Team Image Black repeated as the bronze medalists, posting a score of 79.16. The team from Hackensack, New Jersey performed to a “Rio” theme.
They opened with a Level 4 move element that produced a program-high 7.43 points.
The Skyliners claimed the pewter medal with 75.69 points. The team also earned the pewter medal in 2023 in Peoria, Illinois.
For full results from the 2025 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, visit ussynchrochampionshps.com.
