Grand Prix winner Ava Ziegler withdraws from U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Grand Prix winner Ava Ziegler has withdrawn from next week's Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Ziegler, a 17-year-old from New Jersey, ranks second among American women by best total score this season behind reigning national champion Isabeau Levito.
In November, Ziegler won an international Grand Prix event in Japan, jumping from fifth after the short program by topping the free skate.
Ziegler, ninth in her senior U.S. Championships debut last January, broke the U.S. women’s record for quickest ascent to a Grand Prix title — in just her second Grand Prix start.
She initially didn’t receive any Grand Prix assignments this season — ninth place at nationals can be too low to get into the top-level Grand Prix — but was added to the field in Japan after another skater withdrew in August.
After next week's nationals, two U.S. women will be named to the team for March's world championships in Montreal. Ziegler can still be considered for a spot without competing at nationals.
After Levito and Ziegler, the next highest ranked American women this season in the nationals field are fellow New Jersey native Lindsay Thorngren and 2023 World team member Amber Glenn.
Bradie Tennell, a two-time U.S. champion who was runner-up to Levito last year, is out for the season after breaking an ankle in the fall.
