Liberty sent 19 figure skaters, framed by Assistant Coach Dawn Harter (left) and Head Coach Courtney Kirschke (right), to the Intercollegiate Finals in Salt Lake City.
Figure skaters 10th at National Intercollegiate Final in Salt Lake City
4/15/2026 5:14:00 PM | Figure Skating
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The Lady Flames earned seven medals and accumulated 143 team points in the three-day competition.
Liberty University's figure skating team placed six individuals and its Low Team Maneuvers quartet on the podium with top-four finishes at Friday's through Sunday's U.S. Figure Skating National Intercollegiate Final at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex.
Overall, the Lady Flames landed in 10th place out of 16 teams that qualified with a total of 143 points, just shy of last season's program-high total of 161.7 points that placed them seventh at nationals.
"It was a really, really good experience overall," said Liberty third-year Head Coach Courtney Kirschke, who was a senior on the Lady Flames' 2023 squad that posted the highest finish (sixth place) in program history. "Our team's skates went really, really well. A couple placements didn't go the way we thought they would, but they all showed up and did their job the best way possible. Everything else was out of our hands, out of our control."
The level of competition was much higher than in the team's three Southeast Sectional events, with the top four teams from the Pacific, Midwest, and Northeast Sections thrown into the mix. Overall, the top three teams were from the Northeast or Southeast — Boston University (first, 263 points), Delaware (second, 231), and New York University (third, 220.5). Besides the runner-up Blue Hens, the Lady Flames also finished behind Southeast Section rival South Florida (eighth), but ahead of Penn State (11th).
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Lady Flames Intercollegiate Finals place-winners (from left) Rachel Duncan, Taylor Nordquist, Emma Zajonc, Lauren Weiss, and Kaitlyn Doud
"Going against other top-four teams from across the nation, it's a whole different game, and you don't really know where you're going to land," Kirschke said. "You can only control how well you skate. It was super great that we had some podium finishes. Based on the quality of our skates and clean programs, we definitely peaked at nationals."
The Lady Flames had 19 free skate entries as well as nine skaters entered into the seven levels of dance, and two team maneuvers entries for a total of 30 starts.
Senior Emma Zajonc received a gold medal for her Aspire 3 Free Skate performance as well as a bronze for her third-place Preliminary Solo Pattern Dance routine. She earned a total of 20 team points (with 12 awarded for first place, 10 for second, and 8 for third).
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Dance coach Olivia Walker with skaters who entered dance routines
Freshman Kaitlyn Doud finished second in her Intermediate Free Skate. Junior Rachel Duncan also earned a silver medal after her Pre-Preliminary Free Skate. Freshman Lauren Weiss landed in third place to claim a bronze medal in her Pre-Preliminary Free Skate and senior Taylor Nordquist finished fourth to take home a pewter medal after her Pre-Gold Solo Pattern Dance.
Additionally, Liberty's Low Team Maneuvers team (for Juvenile and lower skaters) featuring sophomores Maggie Duhaime and Ava Basler, freshman Hannah Graham, and junior Amber Banghardt finished third out of 13 entries to earn bronze medals.
Kirschke said the Lady Flames selected music for their routines that fit their skating styles and accentuated their skills to make the best impression on the judges.
"Some selected classical music with bridges and crescendos, some chose upbeat, faster music to match their strength and style with their skating," she said. "It all has to be Liberty-approved, and should reflect their joy in skating, so they can pull from that strength and joy."
She said the team made the most of down time before the competition and between events to strengthen team bonds. That included a time of worship and devotion as well as sharing of impactful testimonies around an outdoor fireplace at their hotel that drew in skaters from other teams.
"We had a lot of moments to sit and breathe and soak it in, and to do some fun things in the area like visiting the Utah Olympic Park to see the (2002 Winter Olympics) Museum there and taking walks to see the scenery of Utah," Kirschke said. "That allowed the girls to talk more and grow those relationships. There was a lot of vulnerability shared, leading to deeper meaning in relationships, glorifying God and seeing how He is working in their lives."
On April 26 at 3 p.m., the Lady Flames will perform along with members of Liberty's synchronized skating team at the annual PraiseFest at the LaHaye Ice Center, with free admission for spectators.
"Most of the Praise Fest programs are choreographed by the girls themselves," Kirschke said. "The coaches aren't creating the programs. It's the students' own little craft, their own masterpiece of end of the year, what they want to present to their friends, and the community, in a closing number on the season."
She said synchronized skating Assistant Coach Haley Gram is doing most of the planning and the strategic work, with assistance from figure skating Assistant Coach Dawn Harter, supplemented by synchronized skating Head Coach Hannah Pulley and Kirschke.
Though there were only three team members that competed for both figure skating and synchronized skating this season, PraiseFest will allow for collaborative routines as well as opening and closing routines involving all of the skaters.
"Because figure skating and synchronized skating are so different, it is an opportunity to skate a number or practice on the same ice with friends they don't normally get to compete with," Kirschke said.
