Miss Indiana USA

The Miss Indiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Indiana in the Miss USA pageant and the name of the title held by those representatives. This pageant is currently produced by Crown Moxie, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss Indiana.
Not to be confused with Miss India USA.
Miss Indiana USA
Formation1952
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersIndianapolis
Location
Membership
Miss USA
Official language
English
WebsiteOfficial website

The pageant is currently held in Noblesville and has previously been hosted by Anderson, Michigan City, Indianapolis, Carmel and Fort Wayne.[1][2][3][4]

The most recent placement was Alexis Lete in 2020, who finished 3rd runner-up.

Nine Miss Indiana-USA winners have previously held the Miss Indiana Teen USA title and competed at Miss Teen USA, and three previously competed in other states (Florida, Georgia and Virginia). Three Miss Indiana-USA winners (1987, 2002, and 2023) have also previously competed at Miss America.

Haley Jordan Begay, 25, from Pittsboro, was chosen as Miss Indiana-USA 2023 on July 17, 2023 at the Noblesville High School Auditorium in Noblesville. She will advance to the Miss USA 2023 pageant later this year. Begay is a local sports broadcaster and previously served as Miss Indiana 2017; and was crowned by Miss Indiana-USA 2022, Samantha Paige Toney of Greenwood who won her title on April 10, 2022 in Noblesville.

Results summary

Placements
  • 1st runners-up: Holli Rene Dennis (1981)
  • 2nd runners-up: Elaine L. Richards (1966), Kelly Ann Lloyd (2002)
  • 3rd runners-up: Jayme Buecher (1978), Alexis Nicole Lete (2020)
  • Top 10/12: Virginia Ann Johnson (1952), Jo Berryman (1975), Holly Roehl (1996), Pratima Yarlagadda (1999), Tashina Kastigar (2003), Brittany Mason (2008)
  • Top 16/19/20: Cecilia Dennis (1954), Sue Ekamp (1962), Jillian Wunderlich (2011), Mekayla Diehl (2014)

Indiana holds a record of 15 placements at Miss USA.

Special awards
  • Miss Photogenic: Gretchen Reece (2015)
  • Miss Congeniality: Tate Elizabeth Fritchley (2019)
  • Best State Costume: Heather Gray (1992)

Winners
Color key
  •   Declared as Winner
  •   Ended as runner-up
  •   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
Year Name Hometown Age[lower-alpha 1] Placement at Miss USA Special awards at Miss USA Notes
2024 TBA TBA TBA TBA
2023 Haley Jordan Begay Pittsboro 25 Previously Miss Indiana 2017
2022 Samantha Paige Toney Greenwood 27
2021 A'Niyah Monae Birdsong Anderson 26 Shortest reigning Miss Indiana USA (8 months and 15 days)
2020 Alexis Lete New Albany 23 3rd runner-up Longest reigning Miss Indiana USA (1 year, 8 months, and 7 days)
2019 Tate Elizabeth Fritchley Evansville 20 Miss Congeniality[5][6] Previously Miss Indiana State Fair 2016[7]
2018 Darrian Rachel Arch Chesterton 23 Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 2013
2017 Brittany Winchester[8] Indianapolis 26
2016 Meryssa Morgan Abel [9] North Vernon[9] 26[9] Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 2008[9]
2015 Gretchen S. Reece North Vernon 23 Miss Photogenic
2014 Mekayla Diehl[10] Bristol[11] 25 Top 20[10]
  • 2nd runner-up at Miss Indiana 2012 competition
  • Later Mrs. Indiana 2017 and Mrs. America 2018 under her married name, Mekayla Eppers
2013 Emily Hart Fort Wayne 25
2012 Megan Myrehn Carmel 20
2011 Jillian Wunderlich Kokomo 19 Top 16
2010 Allison Biehle North Vernon 21
2009 Courtni Hall Crawfordsville 20 Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 2004
2008 Brittany Mason Anderson 21 Top 10 Director of Miss Universe Ireland pageant[12]
2007 Jami Stallings Newburgh 20
2006 Bridget Bobel Peru 26
2005 Kaitlyn Christopher Kokomo 18
2004 Stephanie Keusch Jasper 24
2003 Tashina Kastigar West Terre Haute 22 Semi-finalist Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 1998
2002 Kelly Lloyd Indianapolis 25 2nd runner-up "Triple Crown" winner
2001 Sarah McClary Evansville 22 Previously Miss Indiana Teen USA 1995
2000 Kristal Wile Anderson 23
1999 Pratima Yarlagadda[14] Shipshewana[14] 22[14] Semi-finalist
1998 Nicole Llewellyn[15] Munster[15] 23[15]
1997 Tricia Nosko Evansville 25
1996 Holly Roehl 23 Semi-finalist
1995 Heather Hart Newburgh
1994 Kim Scull Clarksville
1993 Lisa Higgins South Bend
1992 Heather Gray Best State Costume
1991 Cathi Bennett[3] New Albany[3] 24[3]
1990 Meri Lyn Buker[4] Kokomo[4] 24[4]
1989 Gwen Rachelle Volpe Griffith 22
1988 Loetta Earnest[16] East Chicago[16] 22[16]
1987 Alecia Rae Masalkoski Bremen Previously Miss Michigan 1985
1986 Diane Andrysiak South Bend
1985 Theresa Hobbs Wilmington
1984 Susan Willardo Highland
1983 Antoniette (Toni) Marie Yudt Portage
1982 Sara Binkley Greencastle
1981 Holli Rene Dennis Fort Wayne 1st runner-up
1980 Susan Osby[2] Hebron[2] Former State director from 1990 to 1998
1979 Deborah Hayes[2] Kokomo[2]
1978 Jayme Buecher New Albany 3rd runner-up
1977 Lynn Flaherty Nappanee
1976 Annette Anderson Gary
1975 Jo Ellen Berryman Kokomo 24 Semi-finalist Non-finalist at Miss World USA 1974
1974 Lisa Childress Spencer 20
1973 Debbie Ausenbaugh[17] Merrillville
1972 Julie Clifford Edwardsport[18]
1971 Debra Dee Downhour[19] Cassville[19] 21
1970 Mary Ann McBride[20] Michigan City[20]
1969 Linda Smith
1968 Nikki Peck Hammond
1967 Pamela Jo Talmadge Hammond 19 During her reign, Pamela, who was adopted, was reunited with her older siblings (two brothers and a sister) after nearly 19 years being apart.
1966 Elaine L. Richards Merrillville 2nd runner-up Died age 41 on June 26, 1984 in Florida after a long illness[21]
1965 Did not compete
1964 Charlene Kratochvil Kokomo 19
1963 Vickie Little
1962 Sue Ekamp Mishawaka Semi-finalist
1961 Janice Kay Oliver Indianapolis 18
1960 June Cochran Indianapolis 18
1959 Anita Watkins
1958 Shirley Ball
1957 Patricia (Pat) Dorsett Indianapolis
1956 Beverly Mattox
1955 Mary Wasick
1954 Cecilia Dennis Milan Semi-finalist
1953 Edith Mae Krumme Seymour
1952 Virginia Ann Johnson Semi-finalist
  1. Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References
  1. "Carmel in brief- November 1, 2016". Current in Carmel. 1 November 2016.
  2. "New Miss Indiana USA". The Kokomo Tribune. 8 March 1980. p. 24.
  3. "New Albany Woman Miss Indiana USA". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. 27 November 1990. p. 4.
  4. Carey, Tom (27 February 1990). "High-tech beauty pursuing dream". The Kokomo Tribune.
  5. "Miss USA 2019: Evansville native Tate Fritchley appears in pageant". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  6. "Miss Indiana USA Named Miss Congeniality". 44News | Evansville, IN. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  7. "Indiana State Fair Crowns Its 2016 Queen". WFYI. January 11, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  8. Ellison, Jillian (28 April 2017). "Miss Indiana talks skin cancer, national competition".
  9. McClure, Julie (3 June 2016). "North Vernon native competes for Miss USA". The Republic.
  10. Higgins, Will (9 June 2014). "Miss Indiana Mekayla Diehl: 'I'm OK with 'normal". Indy Star.
  11. Sloma, Tricia (5 June 2014). "Native American roots provide strength for local Miss USA hopeful". WNDU.
  12. Leach, Robin (30 May 2017). "Beauty queen, ex-Las Vegas model Brittany Mason runs Ireland pageant". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  13. "Staff". Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  14. "Shipshewana woman wins crown". The Kokomo Tribune. 2 November 1998. p. 2.
  15. "Munster woman wins title". The Kokomo Tribune. 23 June 1997. p. 3.
  16. "Miss Indiana crowned". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. 7 December 1987. p. 6.
  17. "Indiana girl in Miss USA pageant". Rushville Republican. 30 April 1973. p. 5.
  18. "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  19. "Cass Girl Crowned". The Logansport Press. 22 April 1971. p. 1.
  20. ""Miss Indiana" in pageant". The Newark Advocate. 19 May 1970. p. 6.
  21. Associated Press (1984-06-30). "Elaine Richards". Daytona Beach Morning Journal.
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