Miss West Virginia USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss West Virginia.

Miss West Virginia USA
Formation1952
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersBuckhannon
Location
Membership
Miss USA
Official language
English
WebsiteOfficial website

The Miss West Virginia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of West Virginia in the Miss USA pageant. This pageant is independently conducted and produced by Empower2 Productions LLC. and is formerly directed by Sanders & Associates, Inc., dba- Pageant Associates based in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

Although West Virginia has not produced a Miss USA titleholder, four West Virginian delegates have placed: Kristen Morrison in 2005, Jessi Pierson in 2009, Chelsea Welch in 2013, and Nichole Greene in 2016. Their most recent placement was Krystian Leonard who placed in the Top 16 in 2022.

Four Miss West Virginia USAs have held the Miss West Virginia Teen USA title and competed at Miss Teen USA, and two have competed at Miss America.

Caylie Simmons of Franklin was crowned Miss West Virginia USA 2024 on June 1, 2024 at Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts in West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. She will represent West Virginia for the title of Miss USA 2024.

  • Charlotte Bellotte, Miss West Virginia USA 2020
    Charlotte Bellotte, Miss West Virginia USA 2020
  • Chelsea Welch, Miss West Virginia USA 2013
    Chelsea Welch, Miss West Virginia USA 2013
  • Jessi Pierson, Miss West Virginia USA 2009
    Jessi Pierson, Miss West Virginia USA 2009
  • Jessica Wedge, Miss West Virginia USA 2006
    Jessica Wedge, Miss West Virginia USA 2006

Results summary

Placements

  • 1st runners-up: Ruth Parr (1957), Kelly Anderson (1984)
  • Top 10/11: Paula Morrison (1987), Jessi Pierson (2009),
  • Top 15/16: Wilda Estep (1959), Garnett Pugh (1960), Kathy McManaway (1961), Kristin Morrison (2005), Chelsea Welch (2013), Nichole Greene (2016), Krystian Leonard (2022)

West Virginia holds a record of 11 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

  • Miss Photogenic: Jessi Pierson (2009)

Winners

  •   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 Caylie Simmons Franklin 24 Miss Three Rivers Festival
2023 Nevaeh Harmon Charleston 21 Miss Charleston
2022 Krystian Leonard Morgantown 25 Miss Monongalia County Top 16
2021 Alexis Bland Parkersburg 22 Miss Parkersburg
2020 Charlotte Bellotte Charles Town 25 Longest reigning Miss West Virginia USA (1 year, 8 months, and 14 days)
2019 Haley Holloway Morgantown 23
2018 Casey Lassiter Spencer 21
2017 Lauren Roush Mason 21
2016 Nichole Greene Nitro 24 Top 15
2015 Andrea Mucino Morgantown 23
2014 Charisse Haislop Parkersburg 24
2013 Chelsea Welch West Union 22 Top 15
2012 Andrea Rogers[1] Martinsburg 24
2011 Whitney Veach Petersburg 24
2010 Erica Jade Goldsmith Mineral Wells 23
2009 Jessi Pierson Milton 21 Top 10 Miss Photogenic
2008 Skylene Montgomery[2] Parkersburg
  • Ms. West Virginia United States 2006
2007 Kasey Montgomery Petersburg 23
2006 Jessica Wedge Evans 22
2005 Kristin Morrison Ripley 24 Top 15 Current titleholder manager of the Miss West Virginia USA and Miss West Virginia Teen USA pageants under her married name, Kristin Flowers[3]
2004 Carolyn Jennings Morgantown 21
2003 Amy Thomason Buckhannon
2002 Angela Davenport Montgomery
2001 Karen Long Barboursville Winner of Miss Oktoberfest 2001; Auditioned for Season 1 of American Idol
2000 Tara Wilson Sistersville
1999 Amanda Burns
1998 Susan Booth Charleston
1997 Natalie Bevins Parkersburg
1996 Regina Fisher Glenville
1995 Tracy Holcomb
1994 Linda Bailey Charleston
1993 Jennifer Johnson Huntington
1992 Vickie Myers Parkersburg
1991 Krista Ransbottom Huntington
1990 Sabrina Anderson Hinton
1989 Kathy Eicher Huntington Mother of Nadia Mejia, Miss California USA 2016, and married to Gerardo Mejia
1988 Cathy Fowler Huntington
1987 Paula Morrison Barboursville 22 Semi-finalist
1986 Shonna Lyons Parkersburg
1985 Lorre Lewis Barboursville
1984 Kelly Anderson Clarksburg 23 1st runner-up
1983 Jill Rigsby Huntington
1982 Cindy Baniak Star City
1981 Kelly Carr
1980 Linda Hedrick Wiley Ford
1979 Candice (Candy) Boggs Keyser 21
1978 Deborah Davis
1977 Pat Brown Shepherdstown
1976 Cheryl Plants Winfield
1975 Joyce Myers Wheeling
1974 Kim Nuzum Wheeling
1973 Kathy Rowand Pinch
1972 Diane McCutcheon Wheeling
1971 Peggy Tennant Clarksburg
1970 Sharon Alberti Weirton
1969 Betty Grimmer Wheeling
1968 Patricia Coyne Wheeling
1967 Pamela Young
1966 Annette Peery
1964-1965 Did Not Compete
1963 Nina Lou Denton
1962 Nicki Galais
1961 Kathy McManaway Semi-finalist
1960 Garnett Pugh Semi-finalist
1959 Wilda Estep Semi-finalist
1958 Mary Guthrie
1957 Ruth Parr 1st runner-up She finished as 2nd runner-up, but succeeded as 1st runner-up when the 1st runner-up assumed the title as Miss USA after the title was taken away from the winner.
1956 Janet Cardi
1955 Barbara Tucker
1954 Sandra Waggy Charleston[5]
1953 Fay Higley
1952 Did Not Compete
  1. ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

  1. ^ "3 area women make semi-finalist in Miss West Virginia USA pageants". Herald-Dispatch. October 31, 2011.
  2. ^ "Pageants". Herald-Dispatch. November 3, 2007.
  3. ^ "Staff". Archived from the original on April 30, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  4. ^ "2004 Mrs America". Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  5. ^ "Bound for Contest". The Daily Times. 16 July 1954. Retrieved 20 June 2023.