U of M skater moves a step closer to Olympic dreams with national championship win

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The newest U.S. Collegiate Senior Women’s figure skating champion is a University of Minnesota student.

The big win gives her hope for an Olympic dream come true.

Wren Warne-Jacobsen laced up her skates and hit the ice for a tough training session just days after she turned in a national championship performance.

Wren won gold in San Jose a year after taking the bronze.

"It feels amazing," she said. "I've been working for a national title for a long time. It's always been one of my goals."

As far back as her first competition in Fergus Falls in 2010, Wren might’ve been missing teeth, but she didn’t miss on many skills.

"She skates from her heart," said her coach, Lorie Charbonneau.

The excitement and joy she feels on the ice translate to elite performance.

Charbonneau says injuries sapped some of Wren’s joy a few years ago, but she’s rediscovered it and recommitted to improving, no matter how hard the work is.

"Figure skating, I always think, is a sport and an art," Charbonneau said. "And some people are really good at the sport and some people are really good at the art. Wren is really good at both."

But her biggest challenge may be a different kind of double axle, excelling both in the rink, and at the University of Minnesota where she’s a rising sophomore studying strategic communications.

"It's two full-time commitments, but I wouldn't have it any other way," she said.

Despite her full-time university workload, Wren spends hours a day at the Shakopee Ice Arena.

Her goal is to qualify for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships for a fourth time and then see what happens.

"The 2026 Olympics is definitely something I'm working towards," she said. "So this would just be one more step."

But her coach says Wren doesn’t need an Olympic moment to feel like she’s been very successful.

She’s a role model for athletes who finish high school and want a higher education without taking off their skates.

And on top of that, she’s already a national champion.