Oh My Quad: Podium Predictions for U.S. Nationals 2025!

Welcome back to Oh My Quad, the blog where I share my thoughts and opinions on international figure skating!

With just a matter of days until senior Nationals begins, and with much better planning than last year, here is the second annual official Oh My Quad Nationals prediction! My prediction from last year was only half wrong, which isn’t bad, but this year I have my eye on zero wrong answers. So with a cross of our fingers, let’s get into it with my predictions for the senior men’s podium.

Quick note that this prediction was started a couple of weeks ago and had to be seriously revised after the withdrawals of Isabeau Levito and Jason Brown (rip my hopes and dreams), thus delaying the publication. Whoopsies!

Senior Men’s Podium:

1. Ilia Malinin

2. Andrew Torgashev

3. Maxim Naumov

4. Camden Pulkinen

I don’t think anyone is going to dispute projecting Ilia Malinin for first place (although I was originally manifesting a Jason Brown Gold Medal). Malinin is the new Nathan Chen in that sense – the national championship is his to lose. That’s not to say Malinin losing is impossible, though, as he is not immune to falls or errors or any of the other issues that can affect his placement. However, Malinin seems to have found his confidence and identity on the ice between last season and this season and it shows up in his skating. He has two strong programs that he is connected to and performs well, he has the quad Axel, and right now he has more reliable quads than any of the other top U.S. men. The only reason I can imagine Malinin not getting the gold medal is if he falls or otherwise commits an error.

In second place I have Andrew Torgashev, who has been very promising this season. He had two Grand Prix assignments and placed 3rd and 4th, earning his first senior Grand Prix medal and his highest Grand Prix placement since transitioning from the junior to senior level. He also had two top-ten placements in the Challenger Series. Having had multiple bouts with injuries, Torgashev’s senior career has had him steadily in the middle of the pack so far, but I think he’s starting to come back from his injuries and have higher and more frequent placements on podiums. I don’t think he has right now what it takes to take down the “Quad God” Ilia Malinin, but I think the silver medal is very attainable for Torgashev.

Next is Maxim Naumov at bronze. Naumov was originally my prediction for pewter and was bumped up after the withdrawal of Jason Brown, who I had predicted for bronze. Naumov is the two-time reigning pewter medalist, earned his second top-ten Grand Prix placement at Skate America this year, and finished in the top ten at Four Continents Championship in the 2022-2023 season. He’s young, and he’s not a figure skating giant yet, but he is dangerous. With a key player for the Nationals podium out, Naumov will be eager prove himself as one of the top US men and rise up the podium.

After Jason Brown’s withdrawal I have Camden Pulkinen at pewter, but otherwise this would have been my second year in a row leaving Pulkinen off of the podium inn my predictions. Honestly, it would have felt like a much less risky choice this year than last. I know Pulkinen has a record of doing well nationally, even if he can’t hold it up internationally, but this season has not been his strongest. After two years of top-five finishes at each of his Grand Prix assignments, Pulkinen finished the 2024 Grand Prix with only one top-ten placement. The last time this happened was 2021, and he landed just short of the 2022 Nationals podium at 5th. He’s also in a bit of a transition period outside of skating, as he recently graduated from Colombia University and has been working full-time, which leads me to believe this season will be a growing season for him as he learns how to be both a competitive skater and a full-time worker. 

This year I’m adding in a prediction for my “Dark Horse” contender, which is one or more skaters who I think have the potential to come into the competition and shake up the podium. My pick for Dark Horse after my podium adjustments is Jimmy Ma, who was originally my second choice for Dark Horse after Camden Pulkinen. Ma has had bouts of great skates and not-so-great skates through the years and has had multiple close brushes with the Nationals podium. After ten years of vying for the podium yet falling short, some may consider Jimmy Ma a lost cause. I, however, think he still has some fight. Ma faced a setback this season when he wasn’t awarded any Grand Prix assignments, the first season since 2019-2020 that he missed the Grand Prix entirely. However, he did compete in the Challenger Series and placed 6th in two competitions and 3rd in the Cranberry Cup. Ma’s level of success at Nationals also doesn’t usually correlate with his level of success in the Grand Prix – there are multiple instances of Ma missing the top-ten mark in at least one Grand Prix assignment and going on to come within one or two places of the Nationals podium. If Ma used his extra time wisely in training, he could be a serious Dark Horse and could bring trouble for Pulkinen’s podium dreams.

Next up is my first-ever round of predictions for the senior women’s podium. 

Senior Women’s Podium:

1. Amber Glenn

2. Alysa Liu

3. Bradie Tennell

4. Elyse Lin-Gracey

Since her surprise win at the 2024 Nationals, Amber Glenn has been on a roll that can’t be stopped. She widely missed the podium at 2024 Worlds with a 10th place finish, but came back strong for the 2024 Grand Prix series. Glenn won both of her Grand Prix assignments, qualified for the Grand Prix Final, and rose above the tough competition to take home the GPF gold. After three strong performances Glenn’s confidence is going to be through the roof, and when you combine confidence with her ability to jump the triple Axel, Glenn is going to be a powerhouse to be reckoned with. When you also consider that Isabeau Levito out of the running from a withdrawal, I see no reason Glenn can’t defend her national title and wow crowds at Worlds.

It feels so good to be able to include Alysa Liu on this list after her return from retirement, and even better to place her at second place. I think the race will be tight between her and Bradie Tennell, and it could go either way, but Liu’s 4th and 6th place finishes at her Grand Prix assignments and gold medals in her two Challenger Series competitions lead me to believe she’s re-adjusting to competitive skating quite well and will have little to no trouble returning to her spot as one of the top U.S. women. She may not be quite the wunderkind she once was, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still extremely dangerous. After having over a month since her last competition to prepare for Nationals, I think Liu is going to make a strong showing for the silver medal.

At third place I have Bradie Tennell. Tennell has also been in an adjustment period lately, having had multiple injuries in a short period of time. These injuries include a broken ankle, which required her to withdraw from all major competitions in the 2023-2024 season. This is a devastating setback for anyone, both mentally and physically, and it’s going to take some time to rebound on both grounds. However, although she is not quite an international powerhouse, even in recovery she is still one of the strongest U.S. women. Tennell placed 5th at both of her Grand Prix assignments and medalled at her two Challenger Series competitions. While I think Alysa Liu has the advantage of not being so heavily injured as recent as Tennell, I think Tennell definitely has what it takes to win the bronze medal.

Last but not least, I put Elyse Lin-Gracey in fourth place. This is my kind of “leap of faith” placement for this set of predictions because Lin-Gracey is young, only in her second year of competition as a senior, but it’s not entirely out of the question for young seniors to make the podium. Lin-Gracey was given two Grand Prix assignments, a sign that U.S. Figure Skating seems to think she has potential, and she also went to two Challenger Series competitions, at both of which she medalled. Lin-Gracey is a beautiful skater and after she got two top-ten finishes at her Grand Prix assignments, I think she has what it takes to grab the pewter medal.

My Dark Horse for the women is Sarah Everhardt. Everhardt is the reigning pewter medalist and will want to defend her title. Everhardt is also only in her second year as a senior, received two Grand Prix assignments, and medalled at two Challenger Series competitions, so she’s really well-matched to Lin-Gracey. It’s honestly a bit of a toss-up as to who to predict for the pewter and while I decided to go with Lin-Gracey for the upset factor, Everhardt is just as likely to defend her title, making her the top Dark Horse for the senior women’s Nationals.

And with that, my predictions for Nationals 2025 are officially in! Hopefully next year I’ll be able to expand my predictions to ice dance and/or pairs, but for now I’m excited to see how my predictions match up with the results of the men’s and women’s competitions. For live(ish) Nationals commentary, follow me on Twitter/X at @thechloeallen (although my commentary is likely to be limited this year due to scheduling conflicts). Don’t forget to check back to this blog for more thoughts on figure skating as the season progresses!