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Miss New Mexico USA

Beauty pageant competition

Field	Value
name	Miss New Mexico USA
formation	1952
type	Beauty pageant
headquarters	El Paso
location	Texas
membership	Miss USA
language	English
website	Official website

The Miss New Mexico USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Mexico in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Laura's Productions based in El Paso, Texas.

New Mexico achieved many placements in the 1960s to the '80s and produced one Miss USA, Mai Shanley in 1984. The most recent placement was Bianca Wright in 2023, placing in the Top 20.

Dominique Ehrl Lugo of Santa Fe was crowned as Miss New Mexico USA 2025 on August 17, 2025 at the NMSU Center for the Arts in Las Cruces. She represented New Mexico at Miss USA 2025.

Gallery of titleholders

File:Mai Shanley, 1984 (cropped).jpg|Mai Shanley, Miss New Mexico & Miss USA 1984 File:OnawaLacy.jpg|Onawa Lacy, Miss New Mexico USA 2006

Results summary

Miss USA: Mai Shanley (1984)
1st runners-up: Brenda Denton (1985), Alejandra Gonzalez (2019)
2nd runner-up: Judith Baldwin (1965)
4th runners-up: Bonnie Tafoya (1968), Marlena Garland (1978)
Top 5: Michelle Rios (1999)
Top 10/11/12: Donna Reel (1972), Jonelle Bergquist (1976), Denise Funderburk (1977), Kathy Patrick (1980), Kriston "Kiki" Killgore (1987), Alina Ogle (2003), Suzanne Perez (2022)
Top 15/16/20: Joan Schwartz (1955), Sandra "Sandi" Fullingim (1963), Mary Gard (1969), Jenna Hardin (2004), Brittany Toll (2011), Bianca Wright (2023)
New Mexico holds a record of 20 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

Miss Photogenic: Michele Sandoval (1979)
Best State Costume: Kriston "Kiki" Killgore (1987)
People's Choice & Fan Favorite: Brittany Toll (2011)

Winners

;Color key

Declared as Winner
Ended as runner-up
Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age	Local title	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2025	Dominique Ehrl Lugo	Santa Fe	31	Miss Land of Enchantment
2024	Mackenzie Sydow	Albuquerque	22	Miss Uptown
2023	Bianca Wright	Anthony	28	Miss Anthony	Top 20
2022	Suzanne Perez	Portales	25	Miss Portales	Top 12		First Filipino American Miss New Mexico USA
2021	Christa Schafer	Las Cruces	26	Miss Las Cruces
2020	Cecilia Rodriguez	South Valley	27	Miss South Valley			Longest reigning Miss New Mexico USA at
2019	Alejandra Gonzalez	Las Cruces	26	Miss Las Cruces	1st runner-up
2018	Kristen Leyva	Las Cruces	23	Miss Billy The Kid
2017	Ashley Mora	Albuquerque	25	Miss Land of Enchantment
2016	Naomie Germain	Bernalillo	22	Miss Paradise Hills
2015	Alexis Duprey	Alamogordo	24	Miss Mesilla Valley			Triple crown winner
2014	Kamryn Blackwood	Farmington	22	Miss Farmington
2013	Kathleen Elizabeth Danzer	Rio Rancho	24	Miss Rio Ancho
2012	Jessica Martin	Las Cruces	21	Miss Las Cruces
2011	Brittany Toll	Las Cruces	22	Miss Billy The Kid	Top 16
2010	Rosanne Dene Aguilar	Sunland Park	23	Miss Sunland Park			Sister of Raelene Aguilar, Miss New Mexico USA 2008 & Miss New Mexico Teen USA 2000.
2009	Bianca Matamoros-Koonce	Albuquerque	22	Miss Zia
2008	Raelene Aguilar	Sunland Park	26	Miss Sunland Park
2007	Casey Messer	Alamogordo	23	Miss Land of Enchantment
2006	Onawa Lacy	Gallup	23	Miss Highland
2005	Jacqueline Deaner	Las Cruces	25
2004	Jenna Hardin	Lovington	21		Semi-finalist, Finishing in 13th Place
2003	Alina Ogle	Albuquerque	21		Semi-finalist, Finishing in 6th Place
2002	Ellen Colyer	Farmington
2001	Jennifer Adams	Las Cruces
2000	Christina Ortega	Las Cruces
1999	Michelle Rios	Santa Teresa	23		Top 5, Finishing in 5th Place
1998	Maya Strunk	Farmington
1997	Tanya Harris	Tatum
1996	Layla Linn
1995	Jacqueline Grice	Albuquerque
1994	Jill Vasquez	Albuquerque	24
1993	Daniela Johnson	Albuquerque					Mother of Annika Bennion, Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen 2020–21, and Bronté Bennion, Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen 2022
1992	Charlotte Holland
1991	Tiffany Danton
1990	Larissa Canaday
1989	Traci Brubaker	Alamogordo					1st runner up in Miss Oktoberfest 1988
1988	Stephanie Storrie	Clovis					2nd runner up in Miss Oktoberfest 1987
1987	Kriston "Kiki" Killgore	Albuquerque	19		Semi-finalist, Finishing in 7th Place	Winner/1st Place - Best State Costume
1986	Heather Howell	Farmington
1985	Brenda Denton	Hobbs	21		1st runner-up
1984	Mai Therese Shanley	Alamogordo	21	Miss Alamogordo	Miss USA 1984
1983	Kristin Larsen	Santa Fe		Miss Santa Fe
1982	Lisa Allen	Las Cruces
1981	Lise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet	Las Cruces	23				Graduated from New Mexico State University in 1979 and died at age 55 on August 2, 2013, in Greenwood Village, Colorado
1980	date=7 February 1980	title=She'll have to compete in Texas	pages=25	work=The Longview Daily News	url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-longview-daily-news/125937681/	access-date=16 October 2025	via=Newspapers.com}}	Albuquerque	18	Miss Bernalillo	Originally first runner-up, but due to represent New Mexico at Miss USA, due to Patrick being initially disqualified by contest officials, on grounds that she lived in Texas. Eventually, the latter was able to participate at the national pageant when she got a federal court in El Paso to restore her title.}}
Kathy Dawn Patrick	Anthony	19	Miss Anthony	Top 12
1979	Michele Sandoval	Albuquerque				Miss Photogenic
1978	Marlena Garland	Las Cruces			4th runner-up
1977	Denise Funderburk	Albuquerque			Semi-finalist, Finishing in 12th Place
1976	Jonelle Bergquist	Albuquerque			Semi-finalist, Finishing in 10th Place
1975	Maxine Whisler	Albuquerque
1974	Jan Nilsson	Las Cruces
1973	Carolyn Cline	Albuquerque	20
1972	Donna Frances Reel	Albuquerque			Top 12
1971	Debbie Clary
1970	Theresa Ann Phillips	Las Cruces	18
1969	Mary Gard				Semi-finalist, Finishing in 9th Place
1968	Bonnie Lynn Tafoya	Las Cruces			4th runner-up	Top 15 Best in Swimsuit
1967	Clydia Newell	Clovis	21
1966	Susan Franz	Roswell	19
1965	Judith Lee "Judy" Baldwin	Clovis	19		2nd runner-up
1964	Did Not Compete
1963	Sandra Joyce "Sandi" Fullingim	Albuquerque	18		Top 15
1962	Herma Loy Elliott	Portales
1961	Georgi Edwards
1960	Kaye Smith
1959	Carol Jones
Sue Ingersoll						Withdrew admidst controversy over the Catholic church's regulations around swimsuit competitions.
1958	Sandi Bullis
1957	Patricia Stafford
1956	Jackie Brown	Albuquerque
1955	Joan Schwartz				Semi-finalist
1953-1954	Did Not Compete
1952	Kay Nail

References

"Home Page". Laura's Productions.
(2018-02-02). "NMSU engineering alumna crowned Miss New Mexico USA". College of Engineering.
(7 February 1980). "She'll have to compete in Texas". The Longview Daily News.
(16 May 1980). "South Carolina coed is new Miss USA". [[Hattiesburg American]].
(14 May 1970). "All together now...". Tulare Advance-Register.
(16 May 1968). "SWIMSUIT WINNERS". [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]].
(16 May 1967). "Pride Of The Southwest". [[Arizona Daily Star]].
(1 June 1965). "RELAXING FROM MISS USA REHEARSAL". [[The Jackson Sun]].
(18 July 1963). "MISS U.S.A. AND 14 RUNNERS-UP". [[Iowa City Press-Citizen]].
(20 July 1959). "Quits Contest". The Albuquerque Tribune.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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