Bradie Tennell outskates two-time defending champion Alysa Liu of Richmond to win short program

Determined to get back her national title, Bradie Tennell took some huge steps Thursday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Las Vegas by winning the short program.

With a rollicking routine high in difficulty, entertainment value and sheer energy, the 2018 national champion and Olympian outskated two-time defending champ Alysa Liu of Richmond and pre-event favorite Mariah Bell.

Tennell’s strong jumps were no surprise, but her presentation was far superior to past years. She left the ice at Orleans Arena with a huge smile and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Liu, at 15, still too young for senior international events, was second, 3.04 points behind, followed by Bell another 3.99 points back heading into Friday night’s free skate.

Liu comes off a year in which she has grown 3 inches, fought through some injuries and had to cut short training. She has dropped some of her most difficult jumps. She replaced a quad and a triple axel with more emphasis on footwork and spins, and worked on facial expressions and artistry.

It certainly showed for the 2020 world juniors bronze medalist.

“I’m pretty pleased with myself,” Liu said. ”It’s the program I wanted to do, the program I’ve been practicing for the last few weeks and I’m pretty happy with how I did today.

“No, I didn’t surprise myself too much.“

Skate America winner Bell, at 24 a veteran compared wito Liu, under-rotated her triple lutz, usually one of her strongest elements, and had an error in footwork. But she also was precise with her spins and her combination jump and had no real regrets.

“The reason that maybe I was a little excited or anxious, honestly has nothing to do with anything other than me being in the moment of my program and just being excited,” she said.

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