Saturday Night's MIss State Winners - Part 1

The following women were crowned on June 20th; they are ordered here simply by when I found their crowning photo online. Click on names and words in blue for videos and links.


Miss Minnesota
Brooke Kilgarriff

Education: Boston Conservatory/ Music
Talent: vocal "Somebody to Love"
Platform: Music~The Building Blocks of Education
Pageant Past: first time at state
Awards: Interview and Overall Talent


Miss South Dakota
Morgan Peck

Education: University of South Dakota / Political Science & Economics
Talent: vocal “My Simple Wish”
Platform: G.I.G.L. - Getting Involved in Government Locally
Pageant Past: first time at state
Awards: none


Miss New Jersey
Ashley Shaffer

Education: Marist College
Talent: Opera "Nessun Dorma"
Platform: Enhancing Children's Health Through Education and Support
Pageant Past: competed in '06 and '07; Top 10 in '08
Awards: Preliminary Swimsuit and Evening Gown


Miss Tennessee
Stefanie Wittler

Education: University of Tennessee
Talent: vocal "I will always love you"
Platform: Ronald McDonald House
Pageant Past: 3rd RU in '06, competed in '07
Awards: Preliminary Swimsuit



Miss Michigan
Nicole Blaszczyk

Education: Wayne State University / Marketing
Talent: Lyrical dance "At Last"
Platform: Families Facing Substance Abuse
Pageant Past: First time at state
Awards: Preliminary Talent


Miss Louisiana
Katherine Putnam

Education: University of Louisiana / Piano Performance
Talent: Piano "Hallelujah Chorus"
Platform: The Magic of Music
Pageant Past: competed in '05, Top 10 in '07 and '08
Awards: none


Miss Utah
Whitney Merrifield

Education: Brigham Young University / Communications
Talent: Piano "Rachmaninoff Moments Musicaux"
Platform: Be the Change Utah – Creating Unity and Breaking Stereotypes
Pageant Past: 1st RU in '08, Top 10 at National Sweetheart
Awards: Preliminary Talent

Miss Ohio
Erica Gelhaus

Education: Otterbein College / Vocal Performance
Talent: Opera "So Anchio La Virtu Magica"
Platform: Children's Literacy
Pageant Past: 1st RU in '07, National Sweetheart, 2nd RU in '08
Awards: Preliminary and Overall Talent, MAO Scholar

As always, I got these photos and information from a wide variety of online sources; please leave additions and corrections as comments. Thank you.