ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Meet the future of U.S. figure skating.

New champion Mirai Nagasu led a slew of teenagers Saturday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships that jumped around the ice with the lightness of a child and performed to their music with the maturity and expression of an adult.

"I am very excited and speechless for words," Nagasu said.

Nagasu, 14, entered the free skate as the leader after winning the short program. She battled nerves at the start of her skate, falling on her first jump. But she fought through the rest of her technical program while gaining the attention of the crowd.

"The fall on the double axel was like a kick in the butt," she said. "After that, I was like, `Attack!"'

Through playful gestures during her interpretation of "Coppelia," the story of a doll that comes to life, Nagasu drew laughs and cheers from the fans as she skated to a total score of 190.41 to win the ladies' crown at her first ever senior-level competition.

Rachael Flatt was second with 188.73 points while Ashley Wagner was third with 188.56. Caroline Zhang was fourth with 173.16 points.

But while youth prevailed Saturday, it also came at a price as Nagasu and Flatt are too young to even compete at this year's world championships and will be forced to sit out. Wagner will be eligible to make the world team.

While the youngsters flourished Saturday, defending U.S. champion Kimmie Meissner fell from her throne. The 2006 world champion fell three times during her free skate, dropping her to seventh place.

Meissner, the 18-year-old veteran, seemed in disbelief after her performance. The 2006 Olympian fought back tears in the "Kiss and Cry" area, forcing out a few smiles while shaking her head at her performance.

"I didn't have a good competition here, which is very unfortunate," Meissner said. "I'm so upset. I need to think about what I did here and why, and I need to fix it."

Flatt was also shocked after her performance, but for very different reasons as the 15-year-old jumped and spun her way to a silver medal. After her free skate, Flatt stood at center ice with her mouth open and her hands on her head as the crowd stood in appreciation.

Zhang was the first ladies skater to bring the crowd to its feet Saturday night. The 14-year-old's moving and mature skate to "Ave Maria" earned the youngster a personal-best 173.16.

Wagner, who was second after the short program, was reserved after her performance Saturday. She offered plenty of smiles after her free skate, but her face showed more an expression of relief than shock after her well-executed program.

Brubaker, McLaughlin Win, But Inoue Gets Ring

Youngsters Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker won the pairs title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but it was John Baldwin Jr. who stole the show during Saturday's free skate.

The two-time U.S. champion knelt down while he and Rena Inoue took their bows after their performance and asked his girlfriend to marry him. Inoue -- who had to be asked twice before responding -- finally said yes and embraced her new fiancé.

McLaughlin and Brubaker won the pairs' crown with a total score of 190.74, which was more than seven points ahead of Baldwin and Inoue. Last year's champions, Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski, were third. But the new U.S. senior champions will not be able to compete in this year's world championships, as McLaughlin, 15, missed the age cut-off.

The pair, who partnered up in March 2006, won last year's U.S. junior title and followed it up with a gold medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships. They moved up to the senior circuit this year, finishing second at the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy.

Skating to "Romeo and Juliet," McLaughlin and Brubaker showed a mature interpretation of the music. Their performance wasn't perfect, however, as McLaughlin fell on a side-by-side triple salchow.

Belbin, Agosto Win Record-Tying Title

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto extended their dominance in U.S. ice dancing, winning their fifth straight national title Saturday.

The feat tied the 2006 Olympic silver medalists with four other couples for the most wins in U.S. history.

Skating to music by Chopin, Belbin and Agosto scored 216.07 total points to handily defeat their training partners, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.