Haven has been battling a severe knee injury for the past year, so this win is huge!
But who are Haven and Brandon? Check out our Five Fast Facts about the team below:
Haven is 21 and Brandon is 24. They’ve been partners since 2002, when they were a roller skating team.
Haven’s older sister is Caydee Denney. She and Caydee (with partner John Coughlin) shared the title of US Champions in 2012. Caydee was at the senior level, while Haven and Brandon won the junior title that year
They were also the 2013 World Junior Pair Champions
Brandon and Haven took most of 2016 off, because of her injury. She had torn the anterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, and bilateral and lateral meniscus in her right knee
They’re perfectionists. Brandon shared, “Haven and I, we’re perfectionists. You should see us training. Today was all about going out and doing what we can. We had to fight. The result is always a bonus for us. We’re excited to be out here again. We’re back. This whole season has been a comeback season.”
Ashley and Tim, who both came from different partnerships and a singles career, earned 69.33 for their short program — ahead of champs Tarah Kayne and Daniel O’Shea, who took 5th place.
The 19-year-old Olympian wowed the crowd and judges with a flawless program, beating out Polina Edmunds, Ashley Wagner and Mirai Nagasu to take the title for the second year in a row.
Earlier in the day, Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea scored the Pairs title after scoring 211.65 points, ahead of reigning champs Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim, and Marissa Castelli and Mervyn Tran.
“I just really wanted to feel comfortable on the ice and show the judges how beautiful this program is,” she shared after her skate. “There’s always pre-competition hype and buzz, and I don’t really pay attention to it. Of course I’ve never had a chance to be in this position before, so I’m really excited and happy that I’m finally here. But really, I know that it comes down to who skates the best on the ice, and I’m glad what I put down today was my best and that I was rewarded for it.”
Meryl Davis shows off her crystal award inside the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 35th Annual Salute to Women In Sports Awards held at Cipriani Wall Street on Wednesday evening (October 15) in New York City.
The 27-year-old Olympic Ice Dancing champion was joined by her partner Charlie White as she accepted the Sportswoman of the Year Award (team) and Team USA teammate Marissa Castelli.
“What an honor~Thanks to the @WomensSportsFdn A pleasure being among so many strong & inspiring women #WSFAnnualSalute,” Meryl wrote after accepting the award on stage from Michelle Kwan.
The pairs skaters, who took home the top prize at the 2014 U.S. National Championships earlier this year and placed 9th at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, have gone their separate ways and are on the search for new skating partners, US Figure Skating has announced.
“I am so honored and proud to have shared the ice with Simon for the last eight years. It has been an amazing journey and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Marissa shared in a statement. “We will always share our amazing accomplishments with each other. I appreciate everything Simon has done for me and wish him the best in his future endeavors. I will continue skating and hope to be back performing in front of a crowd soon. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through the years.”
Simon added, “I am very proud of the accomplishments Marissa and I have had over the past eight years. I wish Marissa the best of luck with her future as I look forward to starting a new chapter in my skating career. I want to thank all of my family, coaches, friends and fans as well as U.S. Figure Skating and The Skating Club of Boston for their incredible support.”