LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Trine University figure skating team finished their season with a tenth-place finish at the 2023 National Intercollegiate Finals. The team tallied finishes worth 136 points to take the final spot in the top-ten.
Winning the competition was the delegation from Boston University with 276 points. The University of Delaware came in second with 270 and New York University rounded out the top-three with 230.
"Our skaters put on strong performances," explained Head Coach Rachel Franchock, "The competition was just incredibly good this year so we struggled to build momentum."
After traveling to California on Thursday, April 13 the team learned the lay of the land during a practice day before taking the ice for competition beginning on Friday and finishing on Saturday.
Senior Kaitlin Gunter turned in the best event finish by an individual. She placed third in the Intermediate Free Dance, the lone national medalist for the team.
The leading point scorer for Trine was senior Elaine Kuckkahn who added 17 team points for the Thunder. She finished fourth in the Senior Solo Free Dance and seventh in the International Pattern Dance.
"I am so proud of this team," glowed Franchock, "They accomplished so much this season; undefeated during the conference season, the first conference championship for the program and a strong finish at nationals. In particular I want to thank our seniors for leading the way."
The Thunder earned a spot at the national competition by winning the Midwest Conference in undefeated fashion. They finished off the championship on their home ice at the Thunder Country Classic, held in mid-March, where they took first by more than 42 points.