Rising U.S. figure-skating star Sarah Everhardt dazzles at Nationals, vaulting into 2026 Winter Olympics contention

Haymarket, Virginia—Nineteen-year-old Sarah Everhardt steps onto St. Louis ice tonight for the women’s short program at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships knowing that a clean skate could punch her ticket to next month’s Milano-Cortina Winter Games. Everhardt, the 2025 national bronze medalist, trains six days a week at SkateQuest in Reston under coaches Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov—alongside men’s world champion Ilia Malinin. “Preparation, persistence and consistency really pay off,” she said after wrapping final run-throughs, emphasizing a “skate clean” mantra that has guided her breakout senior campaign. The Battlefield High School graduate opened this season by cracking the 200-point barrier at Lombardia Trophy and adding Challenger-Series bronze, then placed fifth at NHK Trophy and seventh at Skate Canada, results that keep her firmly in the Olympic selection conversation. Creatively, Everhardt is showcasing a Riverdance-inspired short program that channels her Irish heritage, paired with a cinematic free skate to “Poor Things.” Choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne “explores different ideas to land on what fits the skater best,” Everhardt noted, crediting the new routine with sharpening her performance edge. Off the ice, the psychology-major-in-waiting balances Pilates, yoga, and Sunday rest days with fandom for F1 driver Lando Norris and time with her dog, Gracie. The holistic approach, she says, “helps me handle higher expectations and stay ready for any last-minute call-ups.” Everhardt proved that resilience in 2025 when she accepted two Grand Prix assignments on short notice and still finished top five, a feat she dubbed “mission accomplished” in an Olympics.com interview. The U.S. women’s field is crowded—world champion Alysa Liu, defending national champion Amber Glenn, and 2018 Olympian Bradie Tennell headline the contenders—but Everhardt’s consistency and climbing component scores make her a legitimate spoiler. U.S. Figure Skating will announce its three-woman Olympic roster Sunday afternoon, live on NBC, immediately after the free skate. Broadcast schedule: USA Network airs the short program at 7 p.m. ET tonight; NBC carries Saturday’s free skate in prime time, with the “Making the Team” special Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Should Everhardt deliver back-to-back clean skates, Northern Virginia’s rising star may swap her commuter carpools for an Olympic charter to Italy—and write the next chapter of an already spellbinding season.