Miss New Mexico USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss USA, see Miss New Mexico.

Miss New Mexico USA
Formation1952
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersEl Paso
Location
Membership
Miss USA
Official language
English
WebsiteOfficial website

The Miss New Mexico USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Mexico in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Laura's Productions based in El Paso, Texas.[1]

New Mexico achieved many placements in the 1960s to the '80s and produced one Miss USA, Mai Shanley in 1984. The most recent placement was Bianca Wright in 2023, placing in the Top 20.

Mackenzie Sydow of Albuquerque, New Mexico was crowned as Miss New Mexico USA 2024 on June 30, 2024 at the NMSU Center for the Arts in Las Cruces. She will represent New Mexico at Miss USA 2024.

Results summary

  • Miss USA: Mai Shanley (1984)
  • 1st runners-up: Brenda Denton (1985), Alejandra Gonzalez (2019)
  • 2nd runners-up: Judith Baldwin (1965)
  • 4th runners-up: Bonnie Tafoya (1968), Marlena Garland (1978)
  • Top 5: Michelle Rios (1999)
  • Top 10/11/12: Donna Reel (1972), Jonelle Bergquist (1976), Denise Funderburk (1977), Kathy Dawn Patrick (1980), Kriston "Kiki" Killgore (1987), Alina Ogle (2003), Suzanne Perez (2022)
  • Top 15/16/20: Joan Schwartz (1955), Sandra Fullingim (1963), Mary Gard (1969), Jenna Hardin (2004), Brittany Toll (2011), Bianca Wright (2023)
  • New Mexico holds a record of 20 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

  • Miss Photogenic: Michele Sandoval (1979)
  • Best State Costume: Kriston "Kiki" Killgore (1987)
  • People's Choice & Fan Favorite: Brittany Toll (2011)

Winners

Color key
  •   Declared as Winner
  •   Ended as runner-up
  •   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
Year Name Hometown Age[a] Local title Placement at Miss USA Special awards at Miss USA Notes
2024 Mackenzie Sydow Albuquerque 22 Miss Uptown
2023 Bianca Wright Anthony 28 Miss Anthony Top 20
2022 Suzanne Perez Portales 25 Miss Portales Top 12 First Filipino American Miss New Mexico USA
2021 Christa Schafer Las Cruces 26 Miss Las Cruces
2020 Cecilia Rodriguez South Valley 27 Miss South Valley Longest reigning Miss New Mexico USA at 1 year, 6 months and 20 days
2019 Alejandra Gonzalez[citation needed] Las Cruces 26 Miss Las Cruces 1st runner-up
2018 Kristen Leyva[2][3] Las Cruces 23 Miss Billy The Kid
2017 Ashley Mora Albuquerque 25 Miss Land of Enchantment
2016 Naomie Germain Bernalillo 22 Miss Paradise Hills
2015 Alexis Duprey Alamogordo 24 Miss Mesilla Valley Triple crown winner
2014 Kamryn Blackwood Farmington 22 Miss Farmington
2013 Kathleen Elizabeth Danzer[citation needed] Rio Rancho 24 Miss Rio Ancho
2012 Jessica Martin Las Cruces 21 Miss Las Cruces
2011 Brittany Toll Las Cruces 22 Miss Duke City Top 16
2010 Rosanne Dene Aguilar Sunland Park 23 Miss Sunland Park Sister of Raelene Aguilar, Miss New Mexico USA 2008 & Miss New Mexico Teen USA 2000.
2009 Bianca Matamoros-Koonce Albuquerque 22 Miss Zia
2008 Raelene Aguilar Sunland Park 26 Miss Sunland Park
2007 Casey Messer Alamogordo 23 Miss Land of Enchantment
2006 Onawa Lacy Gallup 23 Miss Highland
2005 Jacqueline Deaner Las Cruces 25
2004 Jenna Hardin Lovington 21 Semi-finalist, Finishing in 13th Place
2003 Alina Ogle Albuquerque 21 Semi-finalist, Finishing in 6th Place
2002 Ellen Colyer Farmington
2001 Jennifer Adams Las Cruces
2000 Christina Ortega Las Cruces
1999 Michelle Rios Santa Teresa 23 Top 5, Finishing in 5th Place
1998 Maya Strunk Farmington
1997 Tanya Harris Tatum
1996 Layla Linn
1995 Jacqueline Grice Albuquerque
1994 Jill Vasquez Albuquerque 24
1993 Daniela Johnson Albuquerque Mother of Annika Bennion, Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen 2020–21, and Bronté Bennion, Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen 2022
1992 Charlotte Holland
1991 Tiffany Danton
1990 Larissa Canaday
1989 Traci Brubaker Alamogordo 1st runner up in Miss Oktoberfest 1988
1988 Stephanie Storrie Clovis 2nd runner up in Miss Oktoberfest 1987
1987 Kriston "Kiki" Killgore Albuquerque 19 Semi-finalist, Finishing in 7th Place Winner/1st Place - Best State Costume
1986 Heather Howell Farmington
1985 Brenda Denton Hobbs 21 1st runner-up
1984 Mai Therese Shanley Alamogordo 21 Miss Alamogordo Miss USA 1984

First Asian American Miss New Mexico USA
Semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1984

1983 Kristin Larsen Santa Fe Miss Santa Fe
1982 Lisa Allen Las Cruces
1981 Lise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet Las Cruces 23 Graduated from New Mexico State University in 1979 and died at age 55 on August 2, 2013, in Greenwood Village, Colorado
1980 Kathy Patrick Anthony Semi-finalist, Finishing in 6th Place
  • Miss Oktoberfest 1980 as Miss Texas
1979 Michele Sandoval Albuquerque Miss Photogenic
1978 Marlena Garland Las Cruces 4th runner-up
1977 Denise Funderburk Albuquerque Semi-finalist, Finishing in 12th Place
1976 Jonelle Bergquist Albuquerque Semi-finalist, Finishing in 10th Place
1975 Maxine Whisler Albuquerque
1974 Jan Nilsson Los Alamos
1973 Carolyn Cline Albuquerque 20
1972 Donna Reel Albuquerque Semi-finalist (Top 12), Finishing in 10th Place
1971 Debbie Clary
1970 Theresa Phillips Las Cruces
1969 Mary Gard Semi-finalist, Finishing in 9th Place
1968 Bonnie Tafoya Las Cruces 4th runner-up
1967 Clydia Newell
1966 Susan Franz Roswell 19
1965 Judith Baldwin 2nd runner-up
1964 Did Not Compete
1963 Sandra Fullingim Semi-finalist, Finishing in 11th Place
1962 Herma Loy Elliott Portales
1961 Georgi Edwards
1960 Kaye Smith
1959 Carol Jones
Sue Ingersoll Withdrew admidst controversy over the Catholic church's regulations around swimsuit competitions.[4]
1958 Sandi Bullis
1957 Patricia Stafford
1956 Jackie Brown Albuquerque
1955 Joan Schwartz Semi-finalist
1953-1954 Did Not Compete
1952 Kay Nail
  1. ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

  1. ^ "Home Page". Laura's Productions. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Kristen Leyva Crowned Miss New Mexico USA 2018". The Kaleidoscope of Pageantry. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  3. ^ "NMSU engineering alumna crowned Miss New Mexico USA". College of Engineering. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  4. ^ "Quits Contest". The Albuquerque Tribune. 20 July 1959. Retrieved 20 June 2023.