Miss America 1997


Miss America 1997, the 70th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 14, 1996 and televised by the NBC Network. Until the 2019 Pageant, this was the last time that NBC aired the Miss America pageant.

Results

Placements

Awards

Preliminary awards

Quality of Life awards

Other awards

Delegates

The Miss America 1997 delegates are:
StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementAwardsNotes
AlabamaAlison McCrearyFlorence22Vocal, "How Great Thou Art"3rd runner-upQuality of Life Winner
AlaskaChristine BuschurEagle River21Vocal, "Another Op'nin, Another Show" & "I Got Rhythm"
ArizonaErin GingrichYuma21Classical Piano, "Rhapsody in Blue"
ArkansasMelonie McGarrahRogers22Vocal, "I Will Always Love You"
CaliforniaLyndsay KahlerOrange22Vocal, "Where Is It Written?" from Yentl
ColoradoMichelle StanleyLittleton20Dramatic Monologue from QuiltersNon-finalist Talent AwardMiss Colorado USA 1998
ConnecticutStacy PerroneWolcott22Vocal, "This Time Around"
DelawareAimée Michelle VoshellFelton18Ballet en Pointe, "Return to Innocence"
FloridaJamie Lynn BoldingLakeland22Lyrical Ballet, "Can You Read My Mind"Non-finalist Talent Award
Non-finalist Interview Award
Albert Marks, Jr. Memorial Fund Interview
GeorgiaShea OlliffAugusta24Popular Vocal, "Can You Read My Mind"
HawaiiMelissa ShortKaaawa23Operatic Vocal, "Ah! Je Veux Vivre" from Romeo et JulietteTop 10Preliminary Swimsuit Award
Preliminary Talent Award
IdahoMisty Marriah EsplinPreston19Classical Clarinet, "Concertino" by Carl Maria von Weber
IllinoisTania Joy GibsonLake Barrington19Vocal, "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard
IndianaShani Lynn NielsenNew Albany24Vocal, "In His Eyes" from Jekyll & HydeTop 10Preliminary Talent Award
Bernie Wayne Performing Arts Scholarship
IowaNatasha Ann CourterDavenport23Tap Dance, "It Don't Mean a Thing "
KansasTara Dawn HollandOverland Park23Operatic Vocal, "Où Va la Jeune Hindoue" from LakméMiss America 1997Quality of Life 1st runner-up
Preliminary Swimsuit Award
KentuckyVeronica Marie DukaCampbellsville19Vocal, "Somewhere" from West Side StoryTop 10
LouisianaErika Rachael SchwarzFolsom24Original Piano Composition, "New Orleans Rhapsody"1st runner-upQuality of Life 2nd runner-upEntertainment lawyer
Judge for Miss America 2006 pageant
Was "Pageant Coach" on the Miss America 2007 "Pageant School" TV movie
MaineSarah NadeauPortland20Classical Vocal, "Addio" from La bohème
MarylandSusan AlexanderSilver Spring24Popular Vocal, "Sing Me"
MassachusettsLori FlickBoston24Interpretive Gymnastics Dance, Prologue from Beauty and the BeastNon-finalist Talent Award
MichiganJennifer Lynn DraytonSaginaw22Classical Piano, with original accompaniment, "Sonata Appassionata"
MinnesotaSherry JohnsonOwatonna22Vocal, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart"
MississippiKari LittonPontotoc23Vocal, "CryTop 10
MissouriKimberly Anne MassaroSt. Louis24Tap Dance, "Favorite Son" from The Will Rogers Follies4th runner-up
MontanaAubrey Jo HillerMissoula22Vocal, "All the Things You Are"Miss Montana Teen USA 1992
NebraskaRachel WhiteColumbus20Vocal, "Via Dolorosa"
NevadaAnnette AlbertsonReno24Vocal, "Luck Be a Lady"
New HampshireMichelle TolsonManchester22Jazz Dance, "Hit Me with a Hot Note" from Sophisticated Ladies
New JerseyMelanie Joyce BellVernon20Jazz Dance, "They Can't Take That Away From Me"
New MexicoTrisha WilliamsHobbs19Contemporary Gospel Vocal, "He's Always There"
New YorkTammy HarrisWilliamstown24Dance, "O Fortuna"
North CarolinaJennifer Michelle RobertsGreensboro21Tap Dance, "Devil with a Blue Dress On"Non-finalist Talent Award
North DakotaStephanie Lee HamiltonWilliston18Lyrical Dance, "On My Knees"
OhioRobyn HancockGrand Rapids21Classical Ballet, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The NutcrackerNon-finalist Talent Award
OklahomaAmy Linn DuncanOklahoma City23Dramatic Vocal, "A Piece of Sky" from YentlNon-finalist Talent Award
OregonPatricia Regan LeinesMedford24Operatic Aria, "Chacun le Sait" from La fille du régiment2nd runner-upPreliminary Swimsuit Award
Preliminary Talent Award
PennsylvaniaGiGi GordonButler23Lyrical Dance, "When a Man Loves a Woman"
Rhode IslandElana Eve ChomiszakProvidence21Modern Dance, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
South CarolinaAngela Michelle HughesAnderson21Tap Dance, "Sing, Sing, Sing"
South DakotaStephanie CampRapid City20Vocal, "I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls
TennesseeJeni StephensMemphis23Popular Vocal, "Operator"
TexasMichelle MartinezDallas23Classical Piano, "Chopin's Ballade in G Minor"Top 10
UtahNanette PearsonPleasant Grove23Classical Ballet, La Boutique fantasque
VermontNicole JuvanEssex Junction22Vocal, "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
VirginiaMichelle KangFredericksburg22Classical Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2"Non-finalist Talent Award
WashingtonJanet ReasonsPort Orchard22Semi-Classical Vocal, "Half a Moment" from Jeeves
West VirginiaKari Anne SaffordPoint Pleasant23Vocal, "God Help the Outcasts" from The Hunchback of Notre DameNon-finalist Talent Award
WisconsinJennifer StreblowOshkosh18Vocal, "Someone Like You" from Jekyll & Hyde
WyomingRebecca DarringtonGillette19Comedy Vocal, "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man" from Wonderful Town''Waterford Crystal Scholarship

Judges