US Figure Skating Championships 2022: Results, Latest Schedule After Friday

The 2022 United States Figure Skating Championships continued Friday with two events from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. 

After a three-event day on Thursday, today's scheduled featured the rhythm dance and ladies championship free skate. 

The rhythm dance was an opportunity to get a first look at the pairings of Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue; and Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Those two teams finished first and second in the ice dance competition last year, with Hubbell and Donohue coming out on top thanks to their showing in the free dance. 

Chock and Bates got the early advantage in the competition with an impressive 91.94 score in the rhythm dance. Hubbell and Donohue were a close second with an 89.39. No one else is within eight points of second place.

The ladies championship was ensured to crown a new winner. Defending champion Bradie Tennell was unable to compete because of a foot injury that forced her to withdraw from the Championships in December. 

Mariah Bell led the way after Thursday's short program with a score of 75.55. Karen Chen, Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito and Lindsay Thorngren rounded out the top five with scores over 70. 

Bell carried her positive momentum into the free skate. She posted the top score with her routine to win gold at the U.S. Championships for the first time in her career. 

Here are the full results from Friday's action, as well as a look at the remaining schedule for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships over the next two days. 

Championship Ice Dance: Rhythm Dance (Top 5; Free Dance Still to Come)

1. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 91.94

2. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, 89.39

3. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, 80.85

4. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, 79.39

5. Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, 77.90

Full results here. 

Championship Ladies: Free Skate (Top 5)

1. Mariah Bell, 140.70 (216.25 total points)

2. Karen Chen, 139.3 (213.85)

3. Isabeau Levito, 139.75 (210.75) 

4. Gabriella Izzo, 120.60 (188.11)

5. Lindsay Thorngren, 116.16 (186.38)

Full results here. 

Remaining Schedule (All times ET)

Saturday, Jan. 8

3 p.m.: Championship Ice Dance / Free Dance

6:45 p.m.: Championship Men / Short Program

8:25 p.m.: Championship Pairs / Free Skate

Sunday, Jan. 9

12:15 p.m.: Championship Men / Free Skate

Recap

Chock and Bates put together one of the best performances of their career on Friday. Their score in the rhythm dance was the highest ever by a pair at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, per NBC Olympics. 

Last year, Chock and Bates set the pace in this event with a score of 90.10, but their lead was only .41 points. Hubbell and Donohue erased that deficit in the free dance with a score of 134.90—two points better than their rivals (132.83)—to get the win. 

Both times Chock and Bates have won at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships (2015, 2020) they had the top score in the rhythm dance and free dance. 

The door remains open for Hubbell and Donohue to capture their fourth win at this event in the past five years. They put together a clean routine to stay close to Chock and Bates after their record-setting performance. 

In the ladies singles competition, Bell came into the day with little margin for error. She was in a position to medal last year after finishing third in the short program, but she dropped to fifth after her free skate. 

This time around, Bell left no doubt that she is ready to take the next step in her career. The 25-year-old posted the top score in the free skate (140.70) to finish almost three points ahead of Chen. 

Per NBC Olympics, Bell is the oldest woman to win the ladies singles title at the U.S. Championships in 95 years. Beatrix Loughran was 26 years old when she won her third of three straight titles in 1927. 

Chen's opportunity to pass Bell was undone when she was unable to fully rotate on multiple jumps during her routine, prompting the judges to deduct points from her final score. 

Levito actually posted the second-highest score in the free skate to jump up a spot and claim the bronze medal. The 14-year-old was making her senior debut at the United States Championships this week. 

This event was missing one major competitor, as Alysa Liu announced on Instagram (h/t USA Today's Tom Schad) that she had to withdraw earlier in the day because of a positive COVID-19 test. The two-time ladies singles champion was in third place coming out of the short program. 

Now, the focus for Bell, Chen and the other competitors will turn to the Olympics. The U.S. team that will represent the country in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Games is expected to be announced no later than Jan. 10.