Gardena Spring Trophy
In the 1998–99 season, McDonough won both her regional and sectional championship to qualify for the 1999 U.S. Championships, where she placed 6th on the junior level. She remained Junior for the 1999-2000 season and won the Junior national title at the 2000 U.S. Championships. This trip earned her an assignment to the Gardena Spring Trophy, which she won.