Congrats to Prelim Night Three Talent Winner, Jenna Wilson and Swimsuit winner, Kasey Wilson!

Wilson and Wilson snag final preliminaries at Miss Ohio

MANSFIELD — It was tough to keep the Wilson women straight Friday night at the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program. Just call them both winners.

Miss Lake Erie Kasey Wilson, 21, of Granville, and Miss North East Ohio Jenna Wilson, 20, of Zanesville, were the third preliminary winners at the Renaissance Theatre.

Kasey won Friday night’s swimsuit award in a two-piece black suit. On Thursday night, the gifted opera singer won the talent award.

Jenna captured the talent award Friday night after singing “I am Changing.”
The two are unrelated, a question they’ve answered repeatedly this week.

Kasey said in her four years at Miss Ohio she has never won a swimsuit preliminary nor has she been a double preliminary winner.

“It takes a lot of strength for me to diet because I love pizza, and I love cake and I love burgers,” she said. “It’s really rewarding.”

Jenna is making her second trip to Mansfield, but this was her first preliminary win.

“Absolutely love this song. First time I heard it I wanted to sing it,” she said of the piece from Dream Girls.

Both contestants said they want to be Miss Ohio and look forward to the chance to go to Miss America Scholarship Pageant, which last year became a reality show.

“It was great that it was creating so much media for the program but I thought the way the contestants were treated was a little disrespectful compared to how much work they had to do to actually be there,” Kasey said.

Miss Ohio fans were treated to numerous Broadway favorites from “Cats,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Spamalot” and “Annie.”

Reigning Miss Ohio Roberta Camp gave a tearful farewell address in a video on the big screen, singing her trademark gospel song, “Blessed.”

Miss Iowa Diana Reed wowed the audience twirling three batons to “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the Broadway musical, “Hairspray.”

Amid scholarship awards and many thanks to sponsors, the Miss Ohio organization inducted Dick Pacelli of Newman Technology into the Miss Ohio Hall of Fame for his company’s donation of $10,000 each year since 1999 to the newly crowned Miss Ohio.

Miss Ohio 2008 will be crowned tonight from a field of 26 contestants.

lwhitmire@nncogannett.com
419-521-7223