In April 2014, Ponomarenko teamed up with Canadian ice dancer Christina Carreira. The two decided to represent the United States. It was Ponomarenko's mother, Marina Klimova, who thought the team would eventually be a good match after seeing Carreira in Lake Placid, NY. Their Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut came in September 2014; they placed fifth in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and then fourth in Tallinn, Estonia. They finished fifth in the junior event at the 2015 U.S. Championships.