Image:Kaylee Unverzagt headshot.png he Miss Minnesota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Minnesota in the Miss USA pageant. Despite a strong start in the first three years of competition at Miss USA, Minnesota has been largely unsuccessful overall. In more recent years Minnesota has twice received recognition with the Miss USA Special Awards#Miss Photogenic award. Barbara Peterson was the first Miss Minnesota USA to be crowned Miss USA (in 1976), and was also the first Miss USA to be unplaced at Miss Universe. Her sister Polly Peterson was Miss Minnesota USA 1981.

Results summary

Placements

*Winners: Barbara Peterson (1976) *2nd runners-up: Deborah Cossette (1977) *3rd runners-up: Lanore Van Buren (2002) *4th runners-up: Kari Lee Johnson (1985) *Top 6: Angelique de Maison (1995) *Top 10: Carla Peterson (1980) *Top 11/12: Jolene Stravrakis (1994) *Top 15: Jodell Stirmlinger (1952), Mary Ann Papke (1953), Dawn Joyce (1954), Kaylee Unverzagt (2008), Erica Nego (2009)

Awards

*[[Miss USA Special Awards#Miss Congeniality|Miss Congeniality]]: Elizabeth Jane Carroll (1965), Janet Tveita (1990), Dottie Cannon (2006) *[[Miss USA Special Awards#Miss Photogenic|Miss Photogenic]]: Paige Swenson (2000), Sarah Cahill (2003)

Winners

| class"wikitable" |- bgcolor"#efefef" ! width6% | Year ! width20%| Name ! width15%| Hometown ! width3%|Age¹ ! width14%| Placement at Miss USA ! width17%| Special awards at Miss USA ! width25%| Notes |- | Miss USA 2010 | Courtney Basara | Duluth, Minnesota | 20 | | | | |- | Miss USA 2009 | Erica Nego | Plymouth, Minnesota | 24 | Top 15 | | |- | Miss USA 2008 | Kaylee Unverzagt | Eagan, Minnesota | 20 |Top 15 | | |- | Miss USA 2007 | Alla Ilushka | Eden Prairie, Minnesota | 22 | | | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2002, top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2002 |- | Miss USA 2006 | Dottie Cannon lt;ref>lt;/ref> | Eagan, Minnesota | 22 | | Miss USA Special Awards#Miss Congeniality | |- | Miss USA 2005 | Carrie Lee | Sebeka, Minnesota | 25 | | | |- | Miss USA 2004 | Jessica Dereschuk | Stacy, Minnesota | 20 | | | |- | Miss USA 2003 | Sarah Cahill | Waseca, Minnesota | 24 | | Miss USA Special Awards#Miss Photogenic | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1996 |- | Miss USA 2002 | Lanore Van Buren | Edina, Minnesota | 26 | 3rd runner-up | Bluepoint Apparel Swimsuit and Fitness Award | |- | Miss USA 2001 | Anne Marie Clausen | Golden Valley, Minnesota | | | | |- | Miss USA 2000 | Paige Swenson | Fridley, Minnesota | | | Miss Photogenic | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1994, placed 13th at Nationals |- | Miss USA 1999 | Crystal Vandenberg lt;ref>lt;/ref> | Brooklyn Center, Minnesota | 19 | | | | |- | Miss USA 1998 | Josan Hengen | Eden Prairie/Circle Pines, Minnesota | 19 | | | |- | Miss USA 1997 | Melissa Hall | Minneapolis, Minnesota | | | | Later Mrs. Minnesota America 2004 and Top 10 semi-finalist at Mrs. America 2004 under her married name, Melissa Young.lt;/ref> |- | Miss USA 1996 | Karin Smith (pageant titleholder) | Brooklyn Park, Minnesota | 25 | | | Contestant on ABC-TV "The Bachelor" |- | Miss USA 1995 | Angelique de Maison | St. Louis Park, Minnesota | | Finalist | | |- | Miss USA 1994 | Jolene Stravrakis | Burnsville, Minnesota | | Semifinalist | | Five years after briefly holding the title in 1988, Stravraki won the title again in her last year of eligibility after having her criminal record expunged.lt;/ref> |- | Miss USA 1993 | Kristi Bennecke lt;ref>lt;/ref> | Anoka, Minnesota | | | | |- | Miss USA 1992 | Amber Rue | Minneapolis | | | | Completed her reign amid publicity about a "public lovers quarrel involving allegations of coerced sex, extortion, fraud and defamation of character".lt;/ref> |- | Miss USA 1991 | April Herke | Eden Prairie | | | | 4th runner up in Miss Oktoberfest 1990 |- | Miss USA 1990 | Janet Tveita | Minneapolis | | | Miss Congeniality | |- | 1989 | Julie Knutson | Crystal, Minnesota | | | | |- | rowspan3|1988 | Julie Nelson (pageant titleholder) | Bloomington, Minnesota | | | | Second runner-up to Bolich, replaced Stavrakis. She was crowned less than a month before she competed in the Miss USA pageant.lt;/ref> |- | Jolene Stavrakis | Apple Valley, Minnesota | | | | Bolichs first runner-up and replacement. Resigned days later after she too revealed she had pleaded guilty to shoplifting in 1986.lt;/ref> |- | Sue Bolich | Mound, Minnesota | | | | Reigned from November 1987 - February 1988, resigned after she was arrested for shoplifting.lt;/ref> |- | 1987 | Christine Rosenberger | South St. Paul, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1986 | Cynthia Peterson | Edina | | | | |- | 1985 | Kari Lee Johnson | Minneapolis | | 4th runner-up | | |- | 1984 | Martha Mork | Edina | | | | |- | 1983 | Carolyn Mattson | New Hope, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1982 | Lori Kmetz | New Brighton, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1981 | Polly Peterson | Edina | | | | |- | 1980 | Carla Peterson (pageant titleholder) | Albert Lea, Minnesota | | Semi-finalist | | |- | 1979 | Cynthia Sue Lee | St. Paul, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1978 | Janey Gohl | St. Cloud, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1977 | Deborah Cossette | Minneapolis | | 2nd runner-up | | |- | 1976 | Barbara Peterson | Edina | | Winner | | Non semifinalist at Miss Universe 1976 |- | 1975 | Dawn Lamotte | St. Paul | | | | |- | 1974 | Gayle Johnson | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1973 | Cyndi James | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1972 | Darlene Koskiniemi | Roseville, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1971 | Shirley Kittleson | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1970 | Sally Strickland | St. Paul | | | | |- | 1969 | Laureen Darling | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1968 | Arlene Larson | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1967 | Betty Ann Brewer | Richfield, Minnesota | | | | |- | 1966 | Patricia Thatcher | | | | | |- | 1965 | Elizabeth Jane Carroll | Bloomington | | | Miss Congeniality | |- | 1960-64 | No Representative |- | 1959 | Muriel Fairbanks | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1958 | Sue Bouchard | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1957 | Mary Margaret Ford | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1956 | Marilyn Johnson | Minneapolis | | | | |- | 1955 | Sally Ann Colombo | Stillwater | | | | |- | 1954 | Dawn Joyce | Minneapolis | | Semi-finalist | | |- | 1953 | Mary Ann Papke | Minneapolis | | Semi-finalist | | |- | 1952 | Jodell Stirmlinger | St. Paul | | Semi-finalist | | |} ¹ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

External links

* http://www.futureproductions.net/minnesota.cfm/ Official Website] * http://www.ericanego.com/ Miss Minnesota USA 2009 Official Website] Category:Miss USA state pageants Category:Minnesota culture