Carpentersville Woman Takes Top Spot, Named To Olympic Team

SAN JOSE, CA — A Carpentersville woman is joining the ranks of the greatest athletes in the world as Bradie Tennell, 19, won her first figure skating national championship and almost certainly a trip to Pyeongchang, South Korea, with the U.S. Olympic team.

"I don't think it's sunk in quite yet," Tennell said, after a free skate that won her the U.S. Figure Skating Championship Friday night, of the feeling of her place on the podium. "I’m still kind of shocked. It’s indescribable to me," she said, the Northwest Herald reported.

Tennell who trains at the Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion in Buffalo Grove, was hardly considered a contender by some even just months ago, but several victories and stunning performances at high-level competitions catapulted her into figure skating stardom.

She had never performed in an international tournament until Thanksgiving, when she competed in Skate America, a Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, N.Y., the New York Times reported. She took third place at the international event, and soon after performed a routine as Cinderella that the Times said was "nearly flawless."

Mirai Nagasu, 24, and Karen Chen, 18, who competed against Tennell at the championship, were also named to the U.S. Olympic team, the Herald reported.

Tennell scored a career best of 219.51. Nagasu followed with a 213.84, shattering a personal best and Chen took third place with a nearly flawless routine, giving her a score of 198.59. The three wept at their achievements Friday night, according to the Herald.

Tennell hasn't left the Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion to train at other "higher-profile" rinks like many other skaters have, according to the Daily Herald.

Ashley Wagner, 26, a three-time national champion, came in fourth on Friday and she didn't win a spot on the national team. She won a contested Olympic team spot over Nagasu in 2014, but was upset with the way she was scored in the National Championship. Regardless, she voiced her support for the Olympic team.

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