The Miss Kansas competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the US state of
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
in the
Miss America
Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
pageant. Kansas has won the Miss America crown on three occasions.
Ayanna Hensley of
Dodge City
Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier ...
was crowned Miss Kansas 2022 on June 11, 2022 at Dennis Lesh Sports Arena at
Pratt Community College
Pratt Community College is a public community college in Pratt, Kansas, United States.
Athletics
The official mascot for Pratt Community College is the Beaver. Pratt CC participates in 11 sports in the NJCAA and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community ...
in
Pratt. She competed for the title of
Miss America 2023 at the
Mohegan Sun in
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...
in December 2022.
Results summary
The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss Kansas titleholders at the national Miss America pageants/competitions. The year in parentheses indicates the year of the national competition during which a placement and/or award was garnered, not the year attached to the contestant's state title.
Placements
* Miss Americas:
Deborah Irene Bryant
Deborah Irene Bryant (born January 29, 1946) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Overland Park, Kansas who was Miss Kansas 1965 and Miss America 1966.
High school
Deborah Bryant attended General H. H. Arnold High School in Wiesbade ...
(1966),
Debra Dene Barnes
Debra Dene Barnes (born September 6, 1947) is an American music educator and former beauty pageant participant who was crowned Miss America 1968.
Early life and education
Born Debra Dene Barnes, she was raised in Moran, Kansas. Upon graduation ...
(1968),
Tara Dawn Holland (1997)
* 2nd runners-up: Michelle Elaine Whitson (1980)
* 3rd runners-up:
Vera June Ralston (1948), Mary Ann McGrew (1957) (tie), Pamela McKelvy (1993)
* Top 10: Sandy Rings (1972),
Cynthia Sikes (1973), Lori Ann Bergen (1979), Robbin Lee Wasson (1992), Trisha Schaffer (1995), Amy Keller (1996), Megan Bushell (2005),
Theresa Vail
Theresa Marie Vail (born October 1, 1990) is Miss Kansas 2013. She subsequently placed in the top ten of the Miss America 2014 pageant, where she became the first contestant to openly display tattoos (during the swimsuit competition) and won the ...
(2014)
* Top 15: Shirley Hargiss (1949), Annika Wooton (2020)
* Top 16: Lucia Benton (1937)
Awards
Preliminary awards
*
Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness:
Vera June Ralston (1948),
Deborah Irene Bryant
Deborah Irene Bryant (born January 29, 1946) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Overland Park, Kansas who was Miss Kansas 1965 and Miss America 1966.
High school
Deborah Bryant attended General H. H. Arnold High School in Wiesbade ...
(1966),
Debra Dene Barnes
Debra Dene Barnes (born September 6, 1947) is an American music educator and former beauty pageant participant who was crowned Miss America 1968.
Early life and education
Born Debra Dene Barnes, she was raised in Moran, Kansas. Upon graduation ...
(1968),
Cynthia Sikes (1973), Karen Dianne Smith (1975), Amy Keller (1996),
Tara Dawn Holland (1997)
*
Preliminary Talent: Sandy Rings (1972), Lori Ann Bergen (1979), Pamela McKelvy (1993), Trisha Schaffer (1995)
Non-finalist awards
* Non-finalist Talent: Sharon O'Neal (1960), Karen Raye Schwartz (1964), Karen Diane Smith (1975), Jill Dirks (1978), Laura Lynn Watters (1984), Kimberly Dugger (1991), Angelea Busby (2004), Annika Wooton (2020)
Other awards
*
America's Choice:
Theresa Vail
Theresa Marie Vail (born October 1, 1990) is Miss Kansas 2013. She subsequently placed in the top ten of the Miss America 2014 pageant, where she became the first contestant to openly display tattoos (during the swimsuit competition) and won the ...
(2014)
* Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Miracle Maker Award 1st runners-up: Hannah Klaassen (2019)
* CMN Miracle Maker Award 2nd runners-up: Kendall Schoenekase (2017)
* Eleanor "Big Mama" Andrews Performing Arts Award: Kimberlee Grice (2002)
*
Quality of Life Award/Social Impact Initiative Scholarship Award Winners: Annika Wooton (2020)
* Quality of Life Award 1st runners-up:
Tara Dawn Holland (1997), Kendall Schoenekase (2017)
* Quality of Life Award Finalists: Megan Bushell (2005), Adrienne Rosel (2006), Krystian Fish (2018)
*
STEM Scholarship Award Winners: Kendall Schoenekase (2017)
Winners
Notes
References
External links
Miss Kansas official website
{{Miss America state
Kansas culture
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
Women in Kansas