Amber Glenn defended her title as the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Friday night in Wichita, Kan., landing a triple axel early in the program and then watching in stressful anticipation as Alysa Liu came up just short of surpassing her.

Glenn scored 216.79 points while Liu, the two-time national champ in the midst of a comeback from a two-year retirement, had 215.33 points — the difference just may have been a mistake that Liu made on the final spin of her free skate.

Glenn had been unbeaten this season, winning the prestigious Grand Prix Final last month. But after a rather disappointing short program, the 25-year-old from Plano, Texas, found herself in third place and trailing Liu by nearly six points.

Two-time champion Bradie Tennell, who was second after the short program, struggled in her free skate and was passed for third by Sarah Everhardt, an 18-year-old rising star from Haymarket, Va.

Earlier in the night, two-time defending ice dance world champs Madison Chock and Evan Bates pranced through three decades of popular American music and into a big lead after the rhythm dance.

Chock and Bates scored 92.16 points, nearly 10 more than second-place Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko. To put that into context, second through fourth places were separated by less than a point, with the pair of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik scoring the exact same — 82.13 points — as Caroline Green and Michael Parsons.

Chock and Bates were not available after their performance because she was dealing with a food-related stomach bug.

They are going for their fourth straight national title and sixth overall, which would tie the U.S. record held by Meryl Davis and Charlie White. And this one would come 11 years after Chock and Bates first stepped atop the podium.

The ice dance finale is today, when world champion Ilia Malinin also will be in action in the men’s short program.

NFL

A jury acquitted New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers in his assault and battery trial.

Peppers finished testifying by denying he choked or shoved his accuser. Peppers, who first took the witness stand on Thursday, had been on trial this week on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

A woman testified that Peppers grabbed her by the neck, slammed her against a wall and pushed her down the stairs after another man called her cellphone several times while they were in bed.

Peppers said from the stand that he told police that he believed “she was trying to do all this to mess up my career,” The Boston Globe reported.

Along with the woman’s testimony, prosecutors showed several videos of the incident, in which Peppers can be seen asking the naked woman to repeatedly leave his house in Braintree, Mass. The woman said Peppers was filming her and taunting her, as she tried to get her belongings and depart after the alleged assault.

The police report of the October incident supports the woman’s testimony. Police said she refused to go to a hospital and was treated at the home for her injuries.

During cross-examination, Marc Brofsky, the attorney for Peppers, challenged the woman’s account and the extent of her injuries. He also noted the $9.5 million civil lawsuit the woman has filed against Peppers, alleging she was “looking for money.”

Peppers missed seven games since being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list on Oct. 9 following the incident.

The Houston Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and offensive line coach Chris Strausser, multiple sources reported.

The Miami Dolphins are bringing in former Cowboys receivers coach Robert Prince for the same job, multiple sources reported.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Two-time All-America safety Xavier Watts will enter the NFL draft rather than return to Notre Dame for a sixth season.

Ohio State star running back Quinshon Judkins, who scored three touchdowns in the national championship game, is leaving school early and entering the NFL draft.

Las Vegas will host the 2027 College Football Playoff national championship game. The CFP made the announcement, saying the title game will be played Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Joyce Edwards scored 14 points and Sania Feagin added 12 points and seven rebounds, and the No. 2 South Carolina women’s team beat fifth-ranked LSU 66-56 in Columbia, S.C., to end the Tigers’ undefeated season.

The Gamecocks (19-1, 7-0 SEC) won their 17th straight over LSU and all five since Kim Mulkey took over as Tigers coach.

Aneesah Morrow had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Flau’jae Johnson added 13 for LSU (20-1, 5-1).

In men’s top-25 games ...

NO. 11 PURDUE 91, NO. 21 MICHIGAN 64: Braden Smith had 24 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals to help the Boilermakers (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) rout the visiting Wolverines (14-5, 6-2).

NO. 10 MARQUETTE 84, VILLANOVA 74: Stevie Mitchell matched a career high with 21 points and the Golden Eagles (17-3, 8-1 Big East) continued their recent domination of the Wildcats (12-9, 5-5) in Milwaukee. Marquette beat Villanova for an eighth consecutive time.

WINTER SPORTS

The United States took gold and bronze medals in a women’s World Cup monobob race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the best showing for the Americans this season.

Elana Meyers Taylor was first place and Kaysha Love finished in third for the U.S.