Amber Glenn Defends Her Title At The Us Figure Skating Championships As Alysa Liu Falters Late

Amber Glenn was disappointed but not defeated after her short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the reigning champion defiantly vowing to "go on the attack" when she returned to the ice for the free skate on Friday night.

She did exactly that, beginning with a powerful triple axel to start the program and ending with an elegant layback spin.

The 25-year-old from Plano, Texas, wound up with 216.79 points, enough to edge out Alysa Liu, who had led after the short program but made a couple of small mistakes in her free skate that proved to be just big enough. The two-time national champion, in the midst of a comeback from a two-year retirement, finished right behind Glenn with 215.33 points.

"I wasn't feeling my absolute best and today, being able to not fully lock in but for the most part get into the zone I needed to be, I'm very proud of my mental fortitude and the progress I've made," Glenn said.

Two-time champion Bradie Tennell, who was second after the short program, struggled through a fall on her triple lutz in her free skate and was passed for third by Sarah Everhardt, an 18-year-old rising star from Haymarket, Virginia.