Thank you so much for the question
I'm going to take this opportunity to explain a bit about "seeds/seeded skaters" for anyone who might be unfamiliar with how they factor into National Championship qualification
Single skaters who finished on the podium at Nationals last season (seeds/seeded skaters) are not required to advance through
Regionals (aka Blocks) or Sectionals to compete at Nationals this season
Since Wakaba placed 3rd at Nationals last season she is seeded and automatically qualifies to compete at Nationals being held at the end of this year
The same applies for skaters who finish on the podium at Junior Nationals
Seeded Junior Single skaters advance to Junior Nationals without having to compete in Regionals or Sectionals however,
they would usually need to place within Top 8 in their discipline to be considered for a recommendation to participate in "Senior" Nationals
This year is a bit unusual since a Junior Man (Rio Nakata) and a Junior Woman (Mao Shimada) placed on the podium at both Junior Nationals and "Senior" Nationals last season
This means, regardless of their placement in the upcoming Junior Nationals both Rio and Mao already qualify for 2025 "Senior" Nationals
Sorry, I'm not very good at explaining things so I welcome any clarification to this post