Madison Chock, Evan Bates match U.S. record with 6th ice dance title

Madison Chock and Evan Bates matched a United States record on Saturday, winning their sixth ice dance title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kan.

Chock and Bates joined Meryl Davis and Charlie White as the only duos with six U.S. ice dance championships. The former pair secured this year's crown by posting a total score of 223.52, topping second-place finishers Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, who recorded a 210.79.

"(Davis and White) really knocked the doors down and set the path for us as the next generation, to show us what's possible," Bates said. "We were able to train alongside them. I was able to live with Charlie for a couple years in college.

"They were the ones who showed us what it takes to become the best team in the world, how hard they trained on the ice, how dedicated they were off the ice, how graceful they were."

Caroline Green and Michael Parsons rounded out the top three with a 205.37.

In other action Saturday, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov notched a total score of 211.90 to dethrone Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea as champions of the free skate. Kam and O'Shea (total score of 189.57) ended up coming in third behind Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman (190.57).

"I feel I just gave everything on the ice," Efimova told NBC Sports. "I had no emotions left, but then I realized I still had some emotions left, and they all went into this little scream in my hands."

Meanwhile, Ilia Malinin is headed into Sunday's free skate with a 114.08-94.94 advantage over Andrew Torgashev. It's the largest lead ever at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and Malinin is in search of his third national title in a row.

--Field Level Media