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.
| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Buckhannon |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
| Website | Official website |
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.
Gallery of titleholders
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Charlotte Bellotte, Miss West Virginia USA 2020 -
Chelsea Welch, Miss West Virginia USA 2013 -
Jessi Pierson, Miss West Virginia USA 2009 -
Jessica Wedge, Miss West Virginia USA 2006
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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 |
| ||||
| 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 |
- ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant
References
- ^ "3 area women make semi-finalist in Miss West Virginia USA pageants". Herald-Dispatch. October 31, 2011.
- ^ "Pageants". Herald-Dispatch. November 3, 2007.
- ^ "Staff". Archived from the original on April 30, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ "2004 Mrs America". Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Bound for Contest". The Daily Times. 16 July 1954. Retrieved 20 June 2023.