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Miss North Carolina USA

Beauty pageant competition

Field	Value
name	Miss North Carolina USA
formation	1952
type	Beauty pageant
headquarters	Aiken
location	South Carolina
membership	Miss USA
language	English
key_people	Ariana Blaize
website	Official website

The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group since 1992. In 2025 and onwards, the pageant is now produced and directed by Ariana Blaize, Miss Universe Guyana 2024, under A Blaize Productions alongside the rest of former RPM states.

In 2005, Miss North Carolina USA Chelsea Cooley won the Miss USA crown and placed in the top 10 at Miss Universe. Cooley is the first former Miss North Carolina Teen USA to win the Miss title, although not the first to have competed at Miss Teen USA. The second Miss North Carolina Teen USA to win the Miss title was Erin O'Kelley in 2007. She went on to place in the top 15 at Miss USA 2007. Similar to the Miss Utah USA titleholders, both Cooley and Kelley placed at Miss USA, eclipsing their teen performances. In 2009, Kristen Dalton became the second woman from North Carolina to be crowned Miss USA. In 2019, Cheslie Kryst became the third woman from the state to win Miss USA. In both occasions, they placed top 10 on their respective Miss Universe pageants. The most recent placement was Jordyn McKey placing Top 20 in 2023.

North Carolina is currently third tied with Idaho in number of former teens have competed in this pageant: eight, after Indiana and Virginia, including three competed at Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia, respectively. In addition, two others have also competed at Miss America.

In 2019 (billed as 2020 pageant), Madeline Delp was the first woman in a wheelchair to win the top 10 finalists in a statewide Miss USA pageant.

Lourdes "Lulu" Madera of Raleigh was crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2025 on August 31, 2025, at The Twichell Auditorium in Spartanburg. She represented North Carolina at Miss USA 2025.

Gallery of titleholders

File:Miss USA 2022 Morgan Romano visits 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) (8) (cropped).jpg|Morgan Romano, Miss North Carolina USA 2022 and became Miss USA 2022 after R'Bonney Gabriel became Miss Universe 2022 File:Miss USA Cheslie Kryst and Judge Louis Sola at Miss North Carolina Pageant (cropped).jpg|Cheslie Kryst, Miss North Carolina USA 2019 and Miss USA 2019 File:Katie Coble headshot.png|Katie Coble, Miss North Carolina USA 2017 and Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2007 File:Sydney Perry - Miss North Carolina USA 2012.png|Sydney Perry, Miss North Carolina USA 2012 File:Ashley Mills at NC National Guard black history celebration (cropped).jpg|Ashley Love-Mills, Miss North Carolina USA 2013 File:Kristen Dalton (Miss USA).jpg|Kristen Dalton, Miss North Carolina USA 2009 and Miss USA 2009 File:Andrea Duke.png|Andrea Duke, Miss North Carolina USA 2008 File:Erin O'Kelley 1.jpg|Erin O'Kelley, Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2001 and Miss North Carolina USA 2007 File:Chelsea Cooley 2.jpg|Chelsea Cooley, Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2000, Miss North Carolina USA 2005 and Miss USA 2005 File:Vickie Sutton.jpg|Vikki Verbyla, Miss North Carolina USA 1977

Results summary

Placements

Miss USAs: Chelsea Cooley (2005), Kristen Dalton (2009), Cheslie Kryst (2019)
1st runners-up: Caelynn Miller-Keyes (2018), Morgan Romano (2022)
2nd runners-up: Constance Ann Dorn (1975), Lynn Jenkins (1994), Ashley Puleo (2004)
3rd runners-up: Lyndia Ann Tarlton (1960)
4th runners-up: Marcia Burton (1974)
** Top 6/8:** Pat Arnold (1991), Madison Bryant (2021)
** Top 10/11/12:** Deborah Ann Falls (1972), Dianne Jamerson (1979), Cookie Noak (1984), Rhonda Nobles (1986), Tess Elliott (1992), Ashley Love-Mills (2013)
** Top 15/20:** Shirley Bagwell (1956), Erin O'Kelley (2007), Jordyn McKey (2023), Kenzie Hansley (2024)

North Carolina holds a record of 22 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

Miss Photogenic: Pat Arnold (1991)
Miss Congeniality: Vera Morris (1998), Monica Palumbo (2001)

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	Lourdes "Lulu" Madera	Raleigh	39	Miss Raleigh
2024	McKenzie Hansley	Charlotte	24	Miss South Park	Top 20
2023	Jordyn McKey	Charlotte	25	Miss Uptown	Top 20
2022	Morgan Romano	Concord	23	Miss Queen City	1st runner-up
2021	Madison Bryant	Fayetteville	24	Miss Metrolina	Top 8
2020	Jane Axhoj	Waxhaw	22	Miss Lake Wylie
2019	Laura Little	Charlotte	23	Miss Mount Holly	did not compete}}
Cheslie Kryst	Charlotte	27	Miss Metrolina	Miss USA 2019
2018	Caelynn Miller-Keyes	Asheville	22	Miss Asheville	1st runner-up
2017	Kaitlin "Katie" Coble	Charlotte	26	Miss Weddington
2016	Devin Gant	Charlotte	24	Miss Harrisburg			Originally 1st runner-up, assumed the title after Allie Dunn's resignation and competed in Miss USA
Allison "Allie" Dunn	Stallings	21	Miss Stallings	did not compete}}	Resigned the title a couple of weeks before the Miss USA 2016 pageant due to illness
2015	Julia Dalton	Wilmington	23	Miss Wilmington
2014	Olivia Olvera	Fayetteville	26	Miss Fayetteville
2013	Ashley Love-Mills	Raleigh	24	Miss Raleigh Durham	Top 10
2012	Sydney Perry	Wilmington	21	Miss Wilmington
2011	Brittany York	Wilmington	22
2010	Nadia Moffett	High Point	24
2009	Kristen Dalton	Wilmington	21		Miss USA 2009
2008	Andrea Duke	Hendersonville	25				Contestant at National Sweetheart 2006
2007	Erin O'Kelley	Asheville	21		Top 15
2006	Samantha Holvey	Buies Creek/
Glenville, WV	20				On Oct. 14, 2016 Holvey told CNN that Donald Trump personally inspected each woman prior to the contest
2005	Chelsea Cooley	Charlotte	21		Miss USA 2005
2004	Ashley Puleo	Pinehurst	25		2nd runner-up		Sister of Laura Puleo, Miss Virginia USA 2015
2003	Kristen Luneberg	Durham	22
2002	Alison English	Archdale	22
2001	Monica Palumbo	Charlotte	19			Miss Congeniality
2000	Portia Johnson	Greensboro	24
1999	Joy Hall	Sanford	24
1998	Vera Morris	Nashville	23			Miss Congeniality
1997	Crystal McLaurin-Coney	Durham
1996	Jessica McMinn	Tuxedo
1995	Michelle Mauney	Stanley
1994	Lynn Jenkins	Gastonia	26		2nd runner-up
1993	Christa Tyson	Monroe
1992	Tess Elliott	High Point	20		Top 11		Died in a sky-diving accident only weeks after the conclusion of her reign
1991	Pat Arnold	Chapel Hill	21		Top 6	Miss Photogenic
1990	Altman Allen	Shelby
1989	Jacqueline Padgette	Hobgood
1988	Tammy Lynn Tolar	Fayetteville
1987	Donna Leigh Wilson	Davidson	21
1986	Rhonda Nobles	Fayetteville	20		Top 10
1985	Kate Kenney	Raleigh
1984	Cookie Noak	Hickory	23		Top 10
1983	Allison Payge Pinson	Mooresville
1982	Jeannie Boger	Sanford					Mother of Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton (Miss North Carolina USA 2009) and Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2008 Julia Dalton (second runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2008)
1981	Lisa Swift	Southport
1980	Lori Boggs	Kannapolis
1979	Dianne Jamerson	Asheville	24		Top 12
1978	Kathryn Norman	Charlotte
1977	Vikki Verbyla	Lenoir
1976	Dianne Bowen	Windsor
1975	Constance Dorn	Kinston	21		2nd runner-up
1974	Marcia Patrice Burton	Hickory	21		4th runner-up
1973	Vivian Craig	Stanley
1972	Deborah Falls	Vale	21		Top 12
1971	Mary Elinor Rudroff	Winston-Salem	21
1970	Susan Bodsford	Ramseur
1969	Faye Bass	Durham	19				Received United Artist Special Talent Award
1968	Kelli Moore	Raleigh
1967	Patti Effron	Jacksonville
1966	Brenda Faye Moye	Raleigh	21
1965	Sandra Farmer	Greensboro
1964	Did not compete
1963	Trudy Cauthen	Newton
1962	Brenda Smith	Charlotte
1961	Marie Clyburn	Charlotte
1960	Lyndia Tarlton	Wingate	19		3rd runner-up
1959	Peggy Brown	Sunbury
1958	Carol Edwards	Elizabeth City
1957	Peggy Dennis	Lilesville
1956	Shirley Bagwell	Raleigh	18		Top 15
1955	Mary Ratliffe	Wadesboro
1954	Ann Pickett	Charlotte
1953	Libby Walker	Wilton
1952	Doris Stanley	Greensboro

Notes

References

(13 November 2019). "After surviving a coma, woman in wheelchair makes beauty pageant history".
(May 13, 2019). "Miss USA returns to Charlotte, advocates for justice". [[WSOC-TV.
Levans, Katie. (June 3, 2016). "Illness for Miss North Carolina lands a Charlotte-area runner-up in her place days before the Miss USA Pageant". Charlotte Agenda.
Scott Zamost, CNN, October 13, 2016, [http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/13/politics/donald-trump-miss-usa-contestant/index.html Ex-contestant: Trump inspected each woman before pageant], Retrieved October 14, 2016, "...He would step in front of each girl and look you over from head to toe like we were just meat ... You know when a gross guy at the bar is checking you out? It's that feeling..." -- Samantha Holvey
(1992-09-22). "1992 Miss North Carolina USA Killed in Skydiving Accident". The Associated Press.
(8 February 1988). "HOPEFUL QUEENS". [[The Press of Atlantic City]].
(8 October 1986). "Padgette places second at pageant". [[Rocky Mount Telegram]].
(17 February 1987). "MISS USA". [[Hawaii Tribune-Herald]].
(18 May 1971). "Southern Miss USA Beauties". [[The Tampa Tribune]].

Info: Wikipedia Source

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