Miss South Dakota USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss South Dakota.

Miss South Dakota USA
Formation1952
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersSioux Falls
Location
MembershipMiss USA
Official language
English
Key people
Denise Wallace
Craig Heitkamp
WebsiteOfficial website

The Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. It is currently directed by Future Productions based in Savage, Minnesota since 2002.[1]

South Dakota has placed five times. One notable Miss South Dakota USA was Vanessa Short Bull (2000), one of the first Native Americans to compete at Miss USA. Short Bull was also Miss South Dakota 2002. South Dakota's best placement in the competition was Madison Nipe placing in the top five in 2018.

The current titleholder is Ahmitara Alwal of Sioux Falls who was crowned on May 12, 2024 at the Watertown Event Center in Watertown. She represented South Dakota at the Miss USA 2024 pageant in August 2024.

  • Jessica Albers, Miss South Dakota USA 2013 (pictured in 2015)
    Jessica Albers, Miss South Dakota USA 2013 (pictured in 2015)
  • Charlie Buhler, Miss South Dakota 2008
    Charlie Buhler, Miss South Dakota 2008

Results summary

  • Top 5: Madison Nipe (2018)
  • Top 10/12: Debra Ann Brickley (1974), Madison McKeown (2016)
  • Top 15/16: Helen Youngquist (1958), Caroline Pettey (2021)

South Dakota holds a record of 5 placements at Miss USA.

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 Ahmitara Alwal Sioux Falls 25 Miss Southern South Dakota
2023 Amber Hulse Hot Springs 25 Miss Black Hills
2022 Shania Knutson Viborg 21 Miss Brookings County
2021 Caroline Pettey Rapid City 26 Miss Rapid City Top 16
  • Previously Miss Alabama Teen United States 2013
2020 Kalani Jorgensen Sioux Falls 25
2019 Abigail Merschman Sioux Falls 22
2018 Madison Nipe Madison 21 Top 5
2017 Tessa Dee Mitchell 25
2016 Madison McKeown Sioux Falls 20 Top 10
2015 Lexy Schenk Irene 20
2014 Brittney Palmer Brookings 25
2013 Jessica Albers Yankton 26
2012 Taylor Neisen Rapid City 20
2011 Chandra Burnham Highmore 23
2010 Emily Miller Irene 21
2009 Jessica Rowell Sioux Falls 22
2008 Charlie Buhler Mitchell 19
2007 Suzie Heffernan Brookings 20
2006 Alexis LeVan Sioux Falls 19 Contestant at National Sweetheart 2008
2005 Jessica Fjerstad Madison 20
2004 Andrea Parliament Brandon 20
2003 Jessica Lawrence Brookings 25 Contestant at National Sweetheart 2001
2002 Sitania Syrovatka Sioux Falls
2001 Beth Lovro Sioux Falls
2000 Vanessa Short Bull Rapid City
1999 Shawna Gross Huron
1998 Lori O'Brien Rapid City
1997 Jamie Swenson Sioux Falls 25
1996 Caresa Winters Huron 20
1995 Jenny Snobeck Sioux Falls
1994 Tabetha Mauck Mobridge
1993 Kara Rovere Sturgis
1992 Shawn Frerichs Sioux Falls
1991 Jillayne Fossum Canton
1990 Valerie Sejnoha Sioux Falls
1989 Nanette Enders Watertown
1988 Sandi Lynn Fix Sioux Falls
1987 Jana Van Woudenberg Hudson
1986 Lori Scumacher Sioux Falls
1985 Stacey Arnold Rapid City
1984 Donna Smith Box Elder
1983 Kelly Rosenbaum Elk Point
1982 Meaghan North Sioux Falls
1981 Joan Abbott Irene
1980 Jane Schmidt Flandreau
1979 Noele de Saint Gall Garretson
1978 Nadene Oppold Sioux Falls
1977 Ginger Thomson Sioux Falls
1976 Dorothy Westphal Sioux Falls Miss Congeniality (tie)
1975 Lanette Rabenberg Sioux Falls
1974 Debra Ann Brickley Sioux Falls Semi-finalist
1973 Rebecca Bunkers Brookings
1972 Kathleen Bakke DeSmet
1971 Sonia Hart Sioux Falls
1970 Cynthia Finley Sturgis
1969 Mary Bergen Sioux Falls
1968 Byrean Blacksmith Sioux Falls
1967 Patricia Marshall Rapid City
1962-1966 Did not compete
1961 Sharon Hoffman
1960 Patricia Klith
1959 Jeannine Stratton
1958 Helen Youngquist Semi-finalist
1957 Gay Marshall
1956 Did not compete
1955 Phyllis Choquette
1954 Barbara Ann Brown
1953 Kathleen Herman
1952 Marlene M. Rieb withdrew
  1. ^ Age at the time of the crowning

References

  1. ^ "Future Productions, LLC State Directors". Retrieved 8 February 2017.


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