Miss Kansas Teen USA

Miss Kansas Teen USA
Formation1983
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersShawnee
Location
Membership
Miss Teen USA
Official language
English
Key people
John M. Vannatta
Jason Vannatta
Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher, State Pageant Director
WebsiteOfficial Website
At the conclusion of the Miss Kansas USA and Miss Kansas Teen USA 2008 pageant held in Lawrence, Kansas in December 2007, Jessie Colonna is crowned by Jaymie Stokes (right)
Miss Kansas Teen USA 2008 semi-finalists in evening gowns
Madison Moore (Miss Kansas Teen USA 2016) crowns her sister Malerie Moore as Miss Kansas Teen USA 2017. This is the first consecutive back-to-back crowning of sisters in Kansas and only the 3rd time in the history of the Miss Universe Organization at that time.
Malerie Moore is crowned by her sister Madison as Miss Kansas Teen USA 2017.

The Miss Kansas Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kansas in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant has been part of the Vanbros organisation since 1992, and in 2006, they celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary with a reunion of former titleholders at the 2007 pageant. For the first time, all the judges for both the Miss Kansas USA and Miss Kansas Teen USA pageants were former titleholders from the Vanbros states: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Prior to 1994, the pageant was held concurrently with the Miss Kansas USA event, which was hosted by Kansas City. In 1994, the pageant was moved to Wichita. In 2000, the pageant directors moved the event to the small town of Maize, just outside Wichita,[1] where it was also held the following year, before it was brought back to Wichita proper from 2002 to 2003. The pageant was held in Overland Park for the first time in 2004 and also in 2005. In 2006, it moved to Lawrence.

Kansas had a slow start at Miss Teen USA, and did not place until 1991. Despite this, they placed extremely well in the 1990s, with one semi-finalist placing, one finalist placing, two 2nd runner-up placings and one winner, and were in fact the second highest placed state in that decade.[2] Latasha Laine Lawrie brought Kansas back into the placings in the 21st century with her finalist placing in 2005. She also won the Miss Photogenic award, the only major award won by a Kansas teen.

Seven Kansas teens have gone on to win the Miss Kansas USA crown. The most successful, and most notable of these was Danielle Boatwright, who placed 2nd runner-up to Miss Teen USA, 1st runner-up to Miss USA and won the reality TV show Survivor: Guatemala.

In 1995, Keylee Sue Sanders won the national crown in Wichita, Kansas making Kansas the only state to win the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titles in their home state.

Gracie Hendrickson of Newton was crowned Miss Kansas Teen USA 2022 on May 8, 2022 at B&B Live and Music Theater in Shawnee. She will represent Kansas for the title of Miss Teen USA 2022.

Results summary

Placements

  • Miss Teen USA: Keylee Sue Sanders (1995), Hailey Colborn (2018)
  • 2nd runners-up: Danielle Boatwright (1992), Melissa Hurtig (1994)
  • 3rd runners-up: Taylor Clark (2011)
  • Top 6: Mariah Bergmann (1997)
  • Top 10: Latasha Lawrie (2005), Gentry Miller (2006), Jaymie Stokes (2007)
  • Top 12: Denise Blatchford (1991)
  • Top 15/16: Katie Taylor (2012), Alyssa Klinzing (2013), Hannah DeBok (2019), Gracie Hendrickson (2022)

Kansas holds a record of 14 placements at Miss Teen USA.

Awards

  • Miss Photogenic: LaTasha Lawrie (2005)
  • Style Award: Mandy Carraway (1996)

Winners

  •   Declared as Winner
  •   Ended as runner-up
  •   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
Year Name Hometown Age1 Placement at Miss Teen USA Special awards at Miss Teen USA Notes
2024 Brilee Garret Wichita 17 Top 10
2023 Riley Steinman Shawnee 19
2022 Gracie Hendrickson Newton 17 Top 16
2021 Madilynn Becker Herington 17
2020 Cyara Heredia Liberal 18
2019 Hannah DeBok Olathe 17 Top 15
2018 Hunter Fraley Pittsburg 18 Did not compete Originally first runner-up, succeeded Colborn when she won Miss Teen USA 2018
Hailey Colborn Wichita 17 Miss Teen USA 2018
2017 Malerie Moore Olathe 16 Sister of Miss Kansas Teen USA 2016, Madison Moore
2016 Madison Moore Olathe 17 Sister of Miss Kansas Teen USA 2017, Malerie Moore
2015 Melanie Shaner Overland Park 17 Later Miss Kansas USA 2018
2014 Claire-Bailey Lee Andover 17 Daughter of Miss Kansas USA 1986, Audra Ockerman
2013 Alyssa Klinzing Olathe 15 Top 16 Later Miss Kansas USA 2019 and finished Top 10 at Miss USA 2019
2012 Katie Taylor Olathe 18 Top 16
2011 Taylor Clark Topeka 17 3rd runner-up
2010 Olivia Harlan Mission Hills 17 A reporter on ESPN and the SEC Network, Daughter of Kevin Harlan, an American television sports announcer and granddaughter of Bob Harlan, former Green Bay Packers executive[3]
2009 Alexis Rewalt Olathe 18 Later Miss Kansas United States 2013
2008 Jessie Colonna Leawood 17
2007 Jaymie Stokes Lenexa 16 Top 10 Later Miss Kansas USA 2011
2006 Gentry Miller Wichita 18 Top 10 Later Miss Kansas USA 2012
2005 Latasha Lawrie Wichita 18 Top 10 Miss Photogenic
2004 Carissa Kelley Winfield 17 Later Miss Kansas 2011
2003 Megan Price Garden City 18
2002 Amber Ross[4] Manhattan 17
2001 Lindsey Mackey[5] Olathe 16
2000 Sarah Jump Wichita 16 Contestant at National Sweetheart 2005
1999 Grace Shibley Wichita 19
1998 Ashley Tessendorf Manhattan 17
1997 Mariah Bergmann Haysville 18 Top 6
1996 Mandy Carraway Wichita 18 Style Award Later Miss Kansas USA 1999
1995 Keylee Sue Sanders Louisburg 18 Miss Teen USA 1995 Former co-director of the Miss California USA and Miss California Teen USA pageants under her married name, Keylee Sanders-Hochberg
1994 Melissa Hurtig Courtland 18 2nd runner-up
1993 Christy Dippre Augusta 17
1992 Danielle Boatwright Tonganoxie 17 2nd runner-up[6] Later Miss Kansas USA 1996 1st runner up at Miss USA 1996, sports broadcaster and Survivor: Guatemala winner
1991 Denise Blatchford Arkansas City 17 Semi-finalist
1990 Carrie Williams[7] Wichita 18
1989 Tracey Knop Wichita 19
1988 Jennifer Estes Wichita 19
1987 Stephanie Resnick Whitewater 17
1986 Kimberlee Girrens Wichita 18 Later Miss Kansas USA 1992, Top 6 finalist at Miss USA 1992, and Mrs. Kansas America 2004 under her married name, Kimberlee Easter.[8]
1985 Tammy Lampton[9] Wichita 15
1984 Nancy Mardis Wichita 16
1983 Melissa Lyczak Russell 17

1 Age at the time of the Miss Teen USA pageant

References

  1. ^ "Miss Kansas USA moves to Maize" (Press release). Associated Press. 2000-09-04.
  2. ^ Miss Teen ranking, 1990s
  3. ^ Stanton, Loren (2010-01-06). "Pretty Sweet: Shawnee Mission East junior wins Miss Kansas Teen USA crown". Sun Publications.
  4. ^ "Lawrence woman crowned Miss Kansas USA" (Press release). Associated Press. 2001-09-09.
  5. ^ "Miss Kansas USA, Miss Kansas Teen USA chosen" (Press release). Associated Press. 2000-09-10.
  6. ^ "CROWN TRICK Through the storm, pageant kept suspense alive". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 1992-08-28. p. D/12.
  7. ^ "Wichitan wins teen title". The Wichita Eagle. 23 November 1989. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  8. ^ "2004 Mrs America". Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  9. ^ "Around Town". The Wichita Eagle. 19 January 1985. Retrieved 21 February 2023.