US Figure Skating Championships 2016: Monday Results and Updated Schedule
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships continued Monday with the novice men's, women's and pairs free-skate rounds following Sunday's short program.
Here’s a look at the final results:
| Gold | Eric Sjoberg | 117.15 | 171.68 |
| Silver | Peter Liu | 99.67 | 151.90 |
| Bronze | Maxim Naumov | 95.36 | 148.73 |
| Gold | Haley Beavers | 98.58 | 150.93 |
| Silver | Alexia Paganini | 95.68 | 142.88 |
| Bronze | Sierra Venetta | 85.51 | 129.04 |
| Gold | Elli Kopmar, Jonah Barrett | 84.47 | 126.13 |
| Silver | Isabella Gamez, Griffin Schwab | 77.81 | 117.70 |
| Bronze | Sapphire Jaeckel, Matthew Scoralle | 76.87 | 113.69 |
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The men kicked things off in the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Eric Sjoberg again finished first to capture the gold with a total score of 171.68.
Sjoberg spun seven triple jumps, including a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination that drew a staggering 117.15 points, to maintain his perch atop the standings—nearly 20 points ahead of second place.
In 2014, Sjoberg claimed silver at just 12 years old, but he finished 11th last year after hitting a teenage growth spurt of more than eight inches, leaving him unsure about this year's event.
"I didn't know if I was going to compete this year,” Sjoberg said, per Lynn Rutherford of Icenetwork. "There had been so much growth, more than eight inches. I didn't start really training programs and jumping until maybe July or August."
Peter Liu won silver after landing five triple jumps, including three in combination, to earn 99.67 points and bring his total to 151.90.
Maxim Naumov, the son of 1994 pairs world champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, took home bronze with a total of 148.73 points, including 95.36 on Monday, which was good for fifth.
The event also had some drama, as eighth-place finisher Jun-Hong Chen cut his hand during the final warm-up. Blood on the ice delayed the event for roughly 15 minutes, though that didn’t affect the nerves of the top competitors.
"I was really nervous before [the break]; I was shaking and everything,” Liu said, per Rutherford. "When they announced the ice cut, the pressure was taken away. I could do my stuff again.”
After the event, Team Swan shared a photo of the trio on the podium:
Haley Beavers’ run to the gold in the women’s division was a year in the making after she finished sixth in the event a year ago and second at the Eastern Sectional Championships earlier this month.
Beavers nailed five triple jumps and a double axel-double axel sequence in the latter stages of her routine to win by eight points with a total score of 150.93.
She elaborated on her preparation for the Championships afterward, courtesy of Michael Terry of U.S. Figure Skating (h/t Icenetwork).
"I really wanted to be more consistent and precise," she said. "I didn't need to have a perfect skate, but I wanted to do the best I can. I had the same confidence throughout this competition. I know that I'm capable of doing in competition what I do in practice. I have that comfort level."
In anticipation of Monday’s round, Beavers shared a picture from the podium after her short program:
Alexia Paganini, who trailed by only five points after the short program Sunday, couldn’t make up ground but maintained her spot to claim silver with a 142.88 overall score.
Sierra Venetta took home bronze, finishing with spins that all drew a 0.50 grade of execution and were classified as Level 4.
In pairs, Elli Kopmar and Jonah Barrett comfortably followed their outing Sunday with an 84.47 score to bring their overall tally to 126.13, finishing ahead of Isabella Gamez and Griffin Schwab, who placed second on back-to-back days with a total score of 117.70. Sapphire Jaeckel and Matthew Scoralle finished fourth Monday but held on to win bronze by 0.8 points ahead of Emma Coppess and Robert Hennings.
Here is a look at the remaining schedule:
| Novice Dance, Free Dance | 10:15 a.m. |
| Junior Ladies, Short Program | 4:25 p.m. |
| Junior Men, Free Skate | 6:05 p.m. |
| Junior Pairs, Skate Program | 9: 40 p.m. |
| Junior Ladies, Short Program | 4:25 p.m. |
| Junior Men, Short Program | 6:05 p.m. |
| Junior Pairs, Short Program | 9:40 p.m. |
| Championship Pairs Short Program | Thursday, Jan. 21 |
| Championship Ladies Short Program | Thursday, Jan. 21 |
| Junior Free Dance | 10 a.m. |
| Championship Short Dance | 3:30 p.m. |
| Championship Men’s Short Program | 8:30 p.m. |
| Championship Pairs Free Skate (Group 1) | 10 a.m. |
| Championship Free Dance (Group 1) | 10 a.m. |
| Championship Pairs Free Skate (Groups 2 & 3) | 2:30 p.m. |
| Championship Free Dance (Groups 2 & 3) | 2:30 p.m. |
| Championship Ladies Free Skate | 7 p.m. |
| Championship Men’s Free Skate | 2 p.m. |
| Smucker’s Skating Spectacular | 8 p.m. |
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