Miss Mississippi USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss Mississippi.

Miss Mississippi USA
Formation1952
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersCollierville
Location
MembershipMiss USA
Official language
English
Key people
Kim Greenwood, State Pageant Director
WebsiteOfficial website

The Miss Mississippi USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Mississippi in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2001 to 2010, before becoming part of Greenwood Productions in 2010 under the ownership of Miss Tennessee USA 1989 Kim Greenwood.[1]

Mississippi has had 12 Miss USA placements as of 2021. They won Miss USA in 2020. The most recent placement was Asya Branch in 2020, winning the Miss USA 2020 title, becoming the 36th state to have the Miss USA title, 33rd to be crowned. Four titleholders have competed at Miss Teen USA, and as of 2007, four have competed at Miss America, including Branch.

Kaylee Brooke McCollum of Amory was crowned Miss Mississippi USA 2024 on April 6, 2024 at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Mississippi. She competed at Miss USA on August 6, 2024, and was a Top 20 semifinalist.

Results summary

Placements

  • Miss USA: Asya Branch (2020)
  • 1st runners-up: Leah Laviano (2008)
  • 3rd runners-up: Cindy Williams (1986)
  • 4th runners-up: Laurie Kimbrough (1979), Dana Richmond (1988)
  • Top 10/11/12: Kathy Manning (1987), Stephanie Teneyck (1990), Jennifer Adcock (2005), Breanne Ponder (2010)
  • Top 15/16/20: Marlene Britsch (1961), Patricia Ann Turk (1964), Bailey Anderson (2021), Kaylee Brooke McCollum (2024)

Mississippi holds a record of 13 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

  • Miss Photogenic: Stephanie Teneyck (1990)
  • Impact Award: Sydney Russell (2023)

Winners

Color key
  •   Declared as Winner
  •   Ended as runner-up
  •   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
Year Name Hometown Age1 Local title Placement at Miss USA Special awards at Miss USA Notes
2024 Kaylee Brooke McCollum Amory 23 Miss Monroe County Top 20
2023 Sydney Russell Meridian 24 Miss Lauderdale Co. Impact Award
2022 Hailey White Picayune 23 Miss Southern Magnolia
2021 Bailey Anderson Hurley 22 Miss Jackson County Top 16 Longest reigning Miss Mississippi USA (1 year and 20 days)
2020 Asya Branch Booneville 22 Miss Northeast MS Miss USA 2020
2019 Madeleine Overby Columbus 20 Miss Hattiesburg Former New Orleans Saintsation cheerleader
2018 Laine Mansour Tupelo 21 Miss Tupelo
2017 Ashley Hamby Madison 23 Miss Madison Co.
2016 Haley Sowers Meridian 22 Miss Lauderdale Co.
2015 Courtney Byrd Oxford 22 Miss North Mississippi
2014 Chelsea Reardon Southaven 23 Miss Heart of Dixie International Junior Miss Teen 2010
2013 Paromita Mitra[citation needed] Hattiesburg 21 Miss Starkville
2012 Myverick Garcia Hattiesburg 21 Miss Dixieland
2011 Keeley Patterson Starkville 20 Miss Starkville
2010 Breanne Ponder Mount Olive[2] 20 Top 10
2009 Jessica McRaney Terry 23
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
2004 Beth Richards Laurel 25
2003 Allison Bloodworth Grenada 21
2002 Heather Soriano Philadelphia 24
2001 Melanie Vaughn[3] Olive Branch
2000 Angie Carpenter Greenwood
1999 Kari Babski Gloster
1998 Angel Whatley[4] Jackson
1997 Arlene McDonald[5] Tupelo
1996 Caroline Ramagos[6] 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.[7]
1993 Sherry Bowles Lambert
1992 Tammy Johnson Jackson 22 Previously Mississippi's Miss Hospitality 1989
1991 Mitzi Swanson
1990 Stephanie Teneyck 20 Semi-finalist Miss Photogenic 2nd Runner up at Miss All Nations 1990
1989 Laura Durrett Olive Branch
1988 Dana Richmond Madison 20 4th runner-up
1987 Kathy Manning Drew 24 Semi-finalist
1986 Cindy Williams Hattiesburg 22 3rd runner-up
1985 Camille Gilliland Meridian
1984 Carla Green Biloxi
1983 Becky Case Jackson
1982 Nancy Perkins Marks
1981 Angela Ashmore
1980 Cheri Brown Meridian
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 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. ^ "Profile: Mississippi USA - Breanne Ponder". Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  3. ^ Purdy, Jean (2000-06-06). "With near misses in past, Desoto beauty wins title". The Commercial Appeal. p. DS1.
  4. ^ "Jackson woman wins Miss Mississippi USA title" (Press release). Associated Press. 1997-06-14. p. B3.
  5. ^ "Two pageants crown winners in Biloxi in double ceremony". The Commercial Appeal. 1996-06-10. p. B3.
  6. ^ "Shooting For a New Goal MISS USA contestant turns from hoops to rule over different courts". The Commercial Appeal. 1995-12-29. p. C1.
  7. ^ "Miss Mississippi gets a better offer". The Baton Rouge Sunday Advocate. 1994-03-10. p. 4-B.