Miss Mississippi USA

Miss Mississippi USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Jackson
Location	Mississippi
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Website	Official Website

The Miss Mississippi USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Mississippi in the Miss USA pageant.

Mississippi has had 10 Miss USA placements as of 2010. They have never had a Miss USA, and their highest placement was Leah Laviano's 1st-runner up placement in 2008.

Four titleholders have competed at Miss Teen USA, and as of 2007, four have competed at Miss America.

The state pageant, now held at the Gold Strike Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi, has been directed by Miss Tennessee USA 1989: Kim Greenwood since 2010.^[1]

Results summary

Placements

• 1st runners-up: Leah Laviano (2008)
• 3rd runners-up: Cindy Williams (1986)
• 4th runners-up: Laurie Kimbrough (1979), Dana Richmond (1988)
• Top 10: Jennifer Adcock (2005), Breanne Ponder (2010)
• Top 11/12: Katharine Manning (1987), Stephanie Teneyck (1990)
• Top 15: Marlene Britsch (1961), Patricia Ann Turk (1964)

Awards

• Miss Photogenic: Stephanie Teneyck (1990)

Winners

Color key

•      Declared as Winner
•      Ended as runner-up
•      Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age^1	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2016	Haley Sowers	Meridian	22	TBA		Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2010 & 4th runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2010
2015	Courtney Elizabeth Byrd	Jackson	22			Nonfinalist in Miss Tennessee 2013 as Miss Henderson County 2013
2014	Chelsea Reardon	Southaven	23			International Junior Miss Teen 2010
2013	Paromita Mitra[2]	Hattiesburg	21			Born in Bangladesh Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2009
2012	Myverick Garcia	Hattiesburg	21			Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
2011	Keeley Patterson	Starkville	20
2010	Breanne Ponder	Mount Olive[3]	20	Top 10, finishing in 8th place
2009	Jessica Lauren McRaney	Terry	23			Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2004
2008	Leah Laviano	Ellisville	19	1st runner-up
2007	Jalin Wood	Waynesboro	25			Previously Miss Mississippi 2004
2006	Kendra King	Monticello	20
2005	Jennifer Adcock	Hattiesburg	24	Top 10, finishing in 7th place		Previously Miss Mississippi 2002, semifinalist at Miss America 2003, Mississippi's Junior Miss 1998
2004	Beth Richards	Laurel	25
2003	Allison Bloodworth	Grenada	21			Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 1999
2002	Heather Soriano	Philadelphia	24			Previously Miss Mississippi 1999
2001	Melanie Vaughn[4]	Olive Branch
2000	Angie Carpenter	Greenwood				Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 1994, semifinalist at Miss Teen USA 1994
1999	Kari Babski	Gloster
1998	Angel Whatley[5]	Jackson
1997	Arlene McDonald[6]	Tupelo				Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 1992, semifinalist at Miss Teen USA 1992
1996	Caroline Ramagos[7]	Soso
1995	Jill Tullos					Married Senator Chris McDaniel
1994	Leslie Jetton					Gave up her title in March to become a national spokesperson for Caribe Corporations in New Orleans.[8]
1993	Sherry Bowles	Lambert
1992	Tammy Johnson
1991	Mitzi Swanson
1990	Stephanie Teneyck		20	Semi-finalist, finishing in 11th place	Miss Photogenic	2nd Runner up at Miss All Nations 1990
1989	Laura Durrett	Olive Branch
1988	Dana Richmond	Madison	20	4th runner-up		1st Runner up at Miss International 1988
1987	Kathy Manning	Drew	24	Semi-finalist, finishing in 6th place		Previously Miss Mississippi 1984, 2nd runner up at Miss America 1985
1986	Cindy Williams	Hattiesburg	22	3rd runner-up		Semifinalist at Miss International 1986
1985	Camille Gilliland	Meridian
1984	Carla Green	Biloxi
1983	Becky Case	Jackson
1982	Nancy Perkins	Marks
1981	Angela Ashmore
1980	Cheri Brown	Meridian				Previously Miss Mississippi 1978, preliminary swimsuit winner at Miss America 1979
1979	Laurie Kimbrough	Oxford		4th runner-up
1978	Wanda Gatlin
1977	Leigh Tapley	Jackson
1976	Teresa Camp
1975	Leigh Cross	Hernando
1974	Denise Clark
1973	Karen Clements
1972	Deborah Pawlik
1971	Janey Gillis
1970	Susan Ladner	Pass Christian
1969	Rose Ray
1968	Brenda Conerly
1967	Lassie Cooke
1966	Jane Sutherland
1965	Madeline Scarbrough
1964	Patricia Ann Turk			Semi-finalist
1963	Joan Kenebrilde	Hattiesburg				competed in the 1964 Miss Dixie Pageant
1962	Sandra Mazur	Jackson				competed in the 1963 Miss Dixie Pageant
1961	Marlene Britsch			Semi-finalist
1954–1960	Did Not Compete
1953	Jessie Morgan					Semi-finalist at Miss America 1951
1952	Carolyn Thomas

¹ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

1. "Producers". Miss Mississippi USA/Teen USA Pageants. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
2. "Paromita Mitra Crowned Miss Mississippi USA 2013". Beauty Pageant News. November 4, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
3. Profile: Mississippi USA - Breanne Ponder
4. Purdy, Jean (2000-06-06). "With near misses in past, Desoto beauty wins title". The Commercial Appeal. p. DS1.
5. "Jackson woman wins Miss Mississippi USA title" (Press release). Associated Press. 1997-06-14. p. B3.
6. "Two pageants crown winners in Biloxi in double ceremony". The Commercial Appeal. 1996-06-10. p. B3.
7. "Shooting For a New Goal MISS USA contestant turns from hoops to rule over different courts". The Commercial Appeal. 1995-12-29. p. C1.
8. "Miss Mississippi gets a better offer". The Baton Rouge Sunday Advocate. 1994-03-10. p. 4-B.

External links

• Official Website