Miss Virginia USA
(Redirected from Jennifer Pitts)
| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Richmond |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | Darrell Williams, Executive Director Kyle Kelley, Assistant Director |
| Website | Official Website |
The Miss Virginia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Virginia in the Miss USA pageant.
Virginia has been only moderately successful in terms of number of semi-finalists. They have had two Miss USAs. They are one of only four states to have had two Miss USAs in succession (the others being Illinois, Texas, and District of Columbia). Virginia's greatest success came from the late 1960s to early 1980s. Virginia should have had the first Miss USA crown in 1954, as Ellen Whitehead finished 1st runner-up, and Miss USA 1954, Miriam Stevenson, became Miss Universe 1954. However, there was no rule until the 1960s that the 1st runner-up became Miss USA after the winner won Miss Universe. If that was true, 2nd runner-up, Miss New York USA, Karin Hultman would have become Miss USA 1954, as Whitehead was disqualified due to being underage.
Eleven Miss Virginia USA winners have previously held the Miss Virginia Teen USA title and competed at Miss Teen USA and three were previously competed in other states (Georgia, New Jersey and New York), at thirteen. Virginia also currently holds the record for the most Miss Teen USA state winners to win a Miss USA state title from the same state. Two Miss winners have also competed at Miss America.
The current titleholder is Himanvi Panidepu of Centreville was crowned on June 23, 2024, at Hilton Arlington Arlinngton National Landing in Arlington. She will represent Virginia for the title of Miss USA 2024.
Gallery of titleholders
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Donna Dixon (pictured in 1990), Miss Virginia USA 1976 and Miss District of Columbia World 1977 -
Julie Laipply, Miss Virginia USA 2002 -
Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss Virginia USA 2004 -
Amber Copley, Miss Virginia USA 2006 -
Samantha Casey, Miss Virginia USA 2010 -
Catherine Muldoon, Miss Virginia USA 2012 -
Desiree Williams, Miss Virginia 2013 and Miss Virginia USA 2016
Results summary
- Miss USAs: Wendy Dascomb (1969), Deborah Shelton (1970)
- 1st runners-up: Ellen Whitehead (1954), Patricia Southall (1994)
- 2nd runners-up: Samantha Casey (2010)
- 4th runners-up: Sheryl Lynn Herring (1977)
- Top 10: Meredith Blankenship (1998), Kellie Lightbourn (1999), Lauren Barnette (2007), Desiree Williams (2016), Himanvi Panidepu (2024)
- Top 11/12: Brenda Joyce Miller (1971), Linda McKee (1975), Robin Shadle (1978), Betsy Bott (1979), Pam Hutchens (1981), Sondra Dee Jones (1982), Marsha Ralls (1987), Brandi Bottorff (1992)
- Top 15/16/20: Elizabeth "Betty" Karen Kallmyer (1967), Laurie Burke (1968), Maegan Phillips (2009), Arielle Rosmarino (2014), Laura Puleo (2015), Christina Thompson (2021), Ashley Williams (2023)
Virginia holds a record of 26 placements at Miss USA.
Awards
- Miss Congeniality: Kimberly Nicewonder (1989)
- Miss Photogenic: Elizabeth "Betty" Karen Kallmyer (1967), Deborah Shelton (1970), Brenda Joyce Miller (1971), Sondra Dee Jones (1982), Patricia Southall (1994), Audra Wilks (1997)
- Best in Swimsuit: Patricia Southall (1994)
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 | Himanvi Panidepu | Centreville | 23 | Miss Shenandoah | Top 10 | Social Impact Award |
|
| 2023 | Ashley Williams | Reston | 24 | Miss Reston | Top 20 | Former professional cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders | |
| 2022 | Kailee Horvath | Ashburn | 23 | Miss Shenandoah Valley | |||
| 2021 | Christina Thompson | Leesburg | 25 | Miss Southwest Virginia | Top 16 |
| |
| 2020 | Susie Evans | Poquoson | 26 | Miss Williamsburg |
| ||
| 2019 | Courtney Lynne Smits | Woodbridge | 22 | Miss Woodbridge |
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| 2018 | Ashley Amanda Vollrath | Blacksburg | 22 | Miss Blacksburg | |||
| 2017 | Jacqueline Carroll | Stanardsville | 22 | Miss Greene County |
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| 2016 | Desiree Janine Williams | Newport News | 26 | Top 10 |
| ||
| 2015 | Laura Jordan Puleo | Lexington | 25 | Top 15 |
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| 2014 | Arielle Saige Rosmarino | Salem | 22 | Top 20 |
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| 2013 | Shannon Kelli McAnally | Arlington | 23 | ||||
| 2012 | Catherine Muldoon | Virginia Beach | 26 |
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| 2011 | Nikki Poteet | Richmond | 24 | ||||
| 2010 | Samantha Casey | Jeffersonton | 21 | 2nd runner-up |
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| 2009 | Maegan Phillips | Quantico | 22 | Top 15 | |||
| 2008 | Victoria "Tori" Marie Hall | Midlothian | 21 |
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| 2007 | Lauren Elizabeth Barnette | Wise | 21 | Top 10 |
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| 2006 | Amber Copley | Abingdon | 20 |
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| 2005 | Jennifer Pitts | Richmond | 26 |
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| 2004 | Kristi Lauren Glakas | Centreville | 23 |
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| 2003 | Meron Mimi Abraham | Alexandria | 24 | ||||
| 2002 | Julie Marie Laipply | Alexandria | 24 | Public speaker | |||
| 2001 | Kristel Jenkins | Vinton | 23 |
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| 2000 | Crystal Marie Jones | Virginia Beach | |||||
| 1999 | Kellie Lightbourn | Vienna | 21 | Semi-finalist |
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| 1998 | Meredith Blankenship | Hurley | 21 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1997 | Audra Wilks | Richmond | 24 | Miss Photogenic |
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| 1996 | Danielle Connors | Forest | |||||
| 1995 | Susan Elizabeth Robinson | Lynchburg | |||||
| 1994 | Patricia Southall | Chesapeake | 21 | 1st runner-up | Miss Photogenic & Best in Swimsuit | Married to Emmitt Smith | |
| 1993 | Stephanie Satterfield | Virginia Beach |
| ||||
| 1992 | Brandi Bottrof | Fairfax | 21 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1991 | Traci Dority | Fairfax | |||||
| 1990 | Evelyn Green | Richmond | |||||
| 1989 | Kimberly Nicewonder | Bristol | Miss Congeniality | Current director of the Miss Virginia USA and Miss Virginia Teen USA pageants under her married name, Kim Nicewonder-Johnson[4] | |||
| 1988 | Denise Adrain Smith | Fairfax | |||||
| 1987 | Marsha Ralls | Alexandria | 24 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1986 | Maureen McDonnell | Alexandria | Cheerleader for Notre Dame. | ||||
| 1985 | Dana Bryant | Richmond |
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| 1984 | Leah Rush | Leesburg | |||||
| 1983 | Tai Collins | Virginia Beach | Model and actress whose credits include Baywatch and Playboy magazine, Television Writer and Producer whose credits include SAF3 and Baywatch | ||||
| 1982 | Sondra Dee Jones | Richmond | 24 | Semi-finalist | Miss Photogenic | ||
| 1981 | Pamela Elizabeth Hutchens | Newport News | 22 | Semi-finalist | General District Court Judge in Virginia Beach, Virginia | ||
| 1980 | Kelly Humphrey | Hampton | |||||
| 1979 | Betsy Ann Bott | Falls Church | 26 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1978 | Robin Lee Shadle | Springfield | 22 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1977 | Sheryl Lynn Herring | Fairfax | 19 | 4th runner-up | Actress best known for her role as Lucy Coe on General Hospital | ||
| 1976 | Donna Dixon | Alexandria | 18 |
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| 1975 | Linda McKee | Alexandria | 19 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1974 | Hazel Thomas | Alexandria | |||||
| 1973 | Brenda Childress | Richmond | |||||
| 1972 | Diane Elizabeth "Dede" Moore | Radford | |||||
| 1971 | Brenda Joyce Miller | Norfolk | 20 | Semi-finalist | Miss Photogenic | ||
| 1970 | Deborah Shelton | Norfolk | 21 | Miss USA 1970 | Miss Photogenic |
| |
| 1969 | Wendy Dascomb | Danville | 19 | Miss USA 1969 |
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| 1968 | Laurie Burke | McLean | 18 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1967 | Elizabeth "Betty" Karen Kallmyer | Richmond | 18 | Semi-finalist | Miss Photogenic | ||
| 1966 | Beverly Johnson | Alexandria | |||||
| 1965 | Mary Montgomery | Martinsville | |||||
| 1964 | Heidi Karen Smith | Fort Lee | Was Miss Richmond in 1964. German-born Heidi Karin Smith Long died on November 19, 2019, at 76. | ||||
| 1963 | Did Not Compete | ||||||
| 1962 | |||||||
| 1961 | Bonnie Lea Jones | Norfolk | |||||
| 1960 | Elizabeth "Betty" Noreen Fulford | Norfolk | |||||
| 1959 | Pat Poindexter | Salem | |||||
| 1958 | Betty Marsh | Lynchburg | |||||
| 1957 | Patricia Bush | Portsmouth | |||||
| 1956 | Audra Stark | Virginia Beach | |||||
| 1955 | Jeannie Asble | Portsmouth | |||||
| 1954 | Ellen Whitehead | Chatham | 1st runner-up (later disqualified for being underage) | ||||
| 1953 | Dorothy Lee Bailey | Norfolk | |||||
| 1952 | Elizabeth Glenn | Roanoke | |||||
- ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant
References
- ^ "Pageant Staff". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ "2010 Mrs America". Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Mrs America 2010 Results". Mrs. America Pageant. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
- ^ "Pageant Staff". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2010.