By Kristen Henneman
Team USA won three medals Saturday at the 2025 U.S. Synchronized Skating International Classic in Norwood, Massachusetts.
Skating on home soil at the first ISU Challenger Series Synchronized Skating event held in the United States since 2019 and the final Challenger Series event of the season, the Haydenettes earned bronze in the senior event, their second medal in the series this season.
In the junior event, two U.S. teams stood on the podium as Teams Elite clinched gold and Skyliners junior secured bronze. The podium finish is the first in the Challenger Series for Skyliners junior this season and their sixth medal in the series overall. For Teams Elite, who has the most Challenger Series medals of any U.S. team with eight, the gold is their second of the season. They are undefeated in the series in the last two seasons.
Skating at the club they represent, The Skating Club of Boston, the Haydenettes used international season’s best scores for their short program, free skate and overall score to claim the bronze.
The second team to take the ice, the 31-time U.S. champions and reigning World silver medalists came out strong in front of a home crowd, garnering 9.10 points for their Level 4 move element and 10.35 points for their intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection – the second-highest scoring element of the segment. Both skills were awarded grades of execution of 2.60 and 2.85, respectively.
Overall, the Haydenettes earned Level 4 designations on four of their elements during their performance to “Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra" by Barua Joi, Martin Manuel Denis and Cody Fry, finishing third with 76.78 points.
Skating to "Caves" by Cody Fry and "Eleanor Rigby" by Joshua Bell and Frankie Moreno in the free skate, the Haydenettes claimed Level 4 marks on four elements. Highlights included their Level 4 pair, move and twizzle elements, which all received more than eight points. They totaled 141.99 points in the segment for a total score of 218.77.
The medal marks the sixth total Challenger Series medal for the Haydenettes since the series’ inception in 2019.
“I think we feel really good,” said Autumn Coulthard, who is skating on the Haydenettes for the sixth year. “We feel really united, really together. I think [Head Coach Saga Krantz] said it perfectly. We were calm, we were emotional, we really felt the music and that crowd out there, we just had a lot of fun and just tried to soak in every moment because it's not every day that you get a home competition."
The Skyliners and Miami University also skated for Team USA in the senior competition, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.
The Skyliners received 59.79 points in the short program and 122.79 points in the free skate for a two-day total of 182.58 points.
Miami University claimed 172.52 points overall. They tallied 56.13 points in the short program before earning 116.39 points in the free skate.
The United States secured three of the top four spots in the junior competition.
Teams Elite took first place in both segments to bring home the gold.
In the short program, the 2024 U.S. champions totaled the highest element and component scores. Their skate to “Lacrimosa" received Level 4 marks on all five elements – the only junior team to do so in the short program.
Teams Elite came out with their two strongest elements, a Level 4 pivoting block worth 8.97 points and a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection that was awarded 9.90 points. Despite a fall on their twizzle element, the team from Northbrook, Illinois, still finished first with 72.58 points.
In the free skate, Teams Elite scored 129.16 to bring their total score to 201.74, which topped the standings by nearly nine points over Les Supremes, last year’s World Junior champions.
Their performance to music from Black Swan achieved Level 4s on five elements. They were the only team to score more than 10 points on any element, and did it twice on both of their intersections, which generated 10.35 and 10.05 points.
“It feels amazing,” said Quinn McCormick – who has been on Teams Elite for seven years – of the gold medal. “I'm very proud of my team and all the hard work that we've accomplished this week and this season.”
Performing to “Nessun Dorma" by The Tenors in the short program, Skyliners junior – the reigning World junior bronze medalists – attained Level 4 marks on three elements as well as grades of execution of 1.28 or better on each of their elements. Their Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection claimed 9.75 points as they finished the segment in third with 69.93 points.
Skyliners junior maintained their podium position in the free skate with 118.31 points, which is less than a point under their season’s best international score. Their northern lights-themed program was awarded Level 4s on five elements and tallied the second-highest program component score of the event with 65.95 points. They ended the event with 188.24 points overall.
“Obviously we had a lot of our U.S. fans here, so it was great to feel the energy from our fans and hear all the cheering throughout each of the elements,” said Isabelle Gao, a longtime member of the Skyliners organization. “It was really special.”
Finishing just off the podium, the Lexettes clinched their best result in the Challenger Series this season with fourth.
Skating on their home club ice at The Skating Club of Boston, The Lexettes gave their best short program performance of the season, totaling 68.71 points for a new international season’s best.
Their skate to music from The Mask of Zorro started with a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection for 9.60 points. The home team also earned a Level 4 mark on their twizzle element.
In the free skate, the Lexettes secured the third-highest total element score of the segment for their performance to "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish. Tallying 116.04 points for a two-day total of 184.75, the Lexettes were awarded Level 4s on four elements – both their intersections, which also had a Level 4 point of intersection, as well as their traveling element and move element.
Team Image ended the competition in sixth place, scoring 57.96 points in the short program and 105.60 points in the free skate. They finished with a final mark of 163.56 points.
For full results at the U.S. Synchronized Skating International Classic, visit the 2025 Challenger Series Competition Central.
