US Figure Skating Championships 2015: Day 9 Results and Reaction

Welcome to a new year and a new age in United States figure skating.

The 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships concluded in spectacular fashion on Sunday, with Jason Brown taking home the gold medal in the senior men's championship.

Brown narrowly edged out Adam Rippon for the top prize, boosted by a dazzling performance in the short program on Friday that earned him a score of 93.36. 

"I’m so overwhelmed right now, so excited,” said an emotional Brown, per NBC Sports' Nick Zaccardi. “It’s been such a journey from four years ago [finishing ninth at age 16 in his senior nationals debut, also in Greensboro] to now."

Rippon put up a monstrous score of 187.77 in the free skate on Sunday, a record-setting performance, per Ice Network:

However, he was held back by his own follies in the short program. Brown did exactly what he needed to in earning a 181.62 free-skate score, and was rewarded with his first gold medal as a senior skater.

It's a signature moment for the 20-year-old Brown, who took home the silver medal in the 2014 national championships and can now finally say he's completed his meteoric rise to the top of the sport in America.

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

His victory come's just one day after Ashley Wagner cemented herself as perhaps the biggest name in the sport by soundly defeating rival Gracie Gold for the gold medal in the women's championship.

Jeremy Abbott, last year's men's gold-medal winner, finished a somewhat disappointing fifth. Considering the wealth of talent at the 2015 edition of this competition, that result is nothing to be ashamed of.

Rank	Skater	Total	Short Program	Free Skate
1	Jason Brown	274.98	93.36	181.62
2	Adam Rippon	272.48	84.71	187.77
3	Joshua Farris	267.98	90.40	177.58
4	Max Aaron	259.19	85.78	173.41
5	Jeremy Abbott	258.29	89.93	168.36

Figure skating legend Michelle Kwan congratulated Brown on his gold medal-winning performance:

U.S. figure skating Hall of Famer Todd Eldredge made sure to single out Rippon for his daring performance:

There were plenty of gutsy, daring performances out on the ice Sunday. A particularly notable one came from Max Aaron, who gave it everything he had in his free skate, only to end up in fourth place. Ice Network's Lynn Rutherford passed along some of the details from his routine:

A high degree of difficulty to be sure, but it wasn't a perfect run. Ice Network noted his exhaustion at his end of the routine:

Grantland's Holly Anderson proved to be a fan of his athleticism:

Abbott cobbled together a strong performance, but journalist Philip Hersh noted a couple of falls during his routine, mistakes that would prove to be decisive:

There were several lead changes on the day, with Rippon briefly in the gold-medal position after his record-breaking free skate run. Rippon should come away from this event with his head held high, as he improved upon his eighth-place finish in the same event last year. He wasn't expected to make much noise at this competition, but it appears the order of finish is immaterial.

“Now I feel like a champion,” Rippon said, via Zaccardi.

However, the night truly belonged to Brown.

His performance might not necessarily have the same degree of difficulty as the other top competitors, but his picturesque execution more than makes up for any perceived lack of complexity.

The Washington Post's Robert Samuels noted what was lacking in Brown's repertoire:

But Hersh noted Brown's improvement since the Skate America competition: 

In the end, his 181.62 score on the free skate was nowhere near Rippon's 187.77, but the short program proved decisive in the end. It's a testament to Brown's versatility and preparation that he was finally able to come away with a gold medal in this event.

With the rivalry between Gold and Wagner in full swing on the women's side, and Brown's youthful exuberance on the men's, this is as good a time as any for figure skating in the United States. Fans of the sport will be monitoring their performances at the 2015 Figure Skating World Championships in Shanghai, China, in March, where they will put their skills to the test against the best the globe has to offer.