Liberty University Club Sports
Mercyhurst University
Figure skaters land in second place in Southeast, target top-five showing at USFS Final
3/28/2023 7:18:56 PM | Figure Skating
In its final competitive skate before the April 13-16 U.S. Figure Skating Intercollegiate Final in Anaheim, Calif., Liberty University’s figure skating team clinched second place in this past weekend’s Mercyhurst Laker Classic, the third and final Southeast Sectional event hosted by Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.
The Lady Flames scored 243 points, just 12 off their program record set two weeks before at Delaware, to finish runner-up to the Blue Hens (277) and ahead of third-place Penn State (214) and South Florida (175). All four teams qualified for nationals by finishing in the same order in the overall sectional standings.
A total of 17 skaters will represent Liberty in short programs and free skates as well as free and pattern dance and team maneuver events in the Finals at UCLA, where the Lady Flames will compete against 15 other programs from the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Coast sections.
Head Coach Dawn Harter said the team is focused on staying healthy and conditioned over the next two weeks, while getting their skates sharpened as well as tweaking and polishing their programs.
“The way they skated (at Mercyhurst) was excellent and though the scoring wasn’t always as we envisioned it, at the end of the day, I was pleased with their skates,” Harter said. “The energy level is high (and) we are challenging ourselves at each competition and working hard.”
The Lady Flames entered 17 of their 30 starts on Saturday, when they totaled 145 team points.
Freshman Anna Holloway opened the competition with a first-place finish in the High Beginner program before senior Hannah Bruckner and sophomore Shaeleigh Stewart placed first and third, respectively, in the Preliminary Ladies division. Senior Sarah Hicks and junior Kristine Neumeyer continued the trend by dominating at the Pre-Juvenile level, placing first and second, respectively.
Harter said sophomore Kamden Carrera skated a beautiful Juvenile program and placed third before Liberty sophomores Greta Snukis (first in Group A) and Emma Richards (first in Group B) and senior Rebekah McBrayer (second in Group B) turned in stellar Excel Intermediate long program performances, earning the team a total of 34 points.
The Lady Flames’ Low Team Maneuvers team of senior Marissa Harter, Neumeyer, Hicks, and Carrera ended the evening with a first-place finish while Liberty's Intermediate and High Team Maneuver teams both landed in fourth.
On Sunday, Liberty’s Senior skaters delivered “amazing” short program routines, according to Harter. Senior Jamie Gordon started the day with a solid second-place finish in Group A with her “Roxanne” themed program. Seniors Courtney Kirschke and Claire Rivas competed in Group B, skating with ease and confidence as they placed first and second, respectively, in their short programs.
The Lady Flames’ pattern dance routines brought in 46 points for the team and the free dance performances collected 20 more.
Complete individual results and final Southeast team standings are posted online.
Harter said Liberty’s skaters are aiming to improve on their eighth-place national finish last season at Adrian (Mich.) College, where they were awarded 169 team points.
In addition to the representatives from the Southeast section, this year’s 16-team Finals field includes Boston, Cornell, Dartmouth, and New York University out of the Northeast; Adrian, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan out of the Midwest; and University of Denver, California-Berkeley, UCLA, and California-San Diego from the Pacific Coast section.
“For this (U.S. Figure Skating Intercollegiate Final), the challenge will be to place in the top five,” Harter said.
The team will fly to California following its practice on Wednesday, April 12, before competition begins on Friday, April 14, and runs through Sunday, April 16.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
