Miss District of Columbia USA explained

Miss District of Columbia USA
Formation:	1952
Type:	Beauty pageant
Headquarters:	Washington, D.C.
Location:	District of Columbia
Membership:	Miss USA
Language:	English
Key People:	Chelsey Rodgers (Executive Director)

The Miss District of Columbia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss USA pageant. Four District of Columbia representatives have won the Miss USA title. Of those two, Deshauna Barber and Kára McCullough won successive Miss USA titles in 2016 and 2017. The most recent placement was Cassie Baloue in 2023, placing Top 20.

Two Miss District of Columbia USA titleholders previously held the Miss District of Columbia Teen USA title and four have competed at Miss America, one as Miss New Jersey.

The current titleholder is Kleo Torres of Washington, D.C., was crowned Miss District of Columbia USA 2024 on June 26, 2024 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.. She will represent the District of Columbia at Miss USA 2024.

Results summary

Placements

Miss USAs: Bobbie Johnson (1964), Shauntay Hinton (2002), Deshauna Barber (2016), Kára McCullough (2017)
1st runners-up: Michelle Metrinko (1963), Liane Angus (2001)
4th runners-up: Diana Batts (1965), Steffanee Leaming (1984)
Top 10/12: Nikki Phillipp (1970), Susan Pluskoski (1971), Janet Gail Greenawalt (1972), Nancy Plachta (1973), Robin Utterback (1974), Mary Lamond (1975), Sharon Sutherland (1977), Catherine Staples (1990), Candace Allen (2006), Cordelia Cranshaw (2019)
Top 15/16/20: Laura Farley (1954), Helen Sweeney (1962), Myra Chudy (1967), Sue Counts (1966), Cierra Jackson (2020), Faith Porter (2022), Cassie Baloue (2023), Kleo Torres (2024)
District of Columbia holds a record of 26 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

Miss Congeniality: Elva Anderson (1988), Napiera Groves (1997)

Winners

Color key Declared as Winner Ended as runner-up Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	width=3%	Age	width=12%	Local title	Placement	Special awards	Notes
2024	Kleo Torres	Washington, D.C.	26	Miss Nation's Capital	Top 20
	Cassie Baloue	Washington, D.C.	25	Miss Freedom	Top 20
	Faith Porter	Washington, D.C.	23	Miss Brookland	Top 16		Previously Miss Earth USA Air 2022
2021	Sasha Perea	Washington, D.C.	27	Miss City Center			Previously Miss Virginia World 2016 & 2017 2nd runner-up at Miss World America 2016 Top 16 at Miss World America 2017
2020	Cierra Jackson	Washington, D.C.	27		Top 16		Previously Miss District of Columbia 2016
2019	Cordelia Cranshaw	Washington, D.C.	26		Top 10
2018	Bryce Armstrong	Washington, D.C.	21
2017	Ryann Richardson	Washington, D.C.	27		Originally first runner-up, assumed the title when Kára McCullough won Miss USA Went on to become Miss Black America 2018
2017	Kára McCullough	Washington, D.C.	25		Miss USA 2017		Born in Italy Top 10 at Miss Universe 2017
2016	Jasmine Jones	Washington, D.C.	27		Originally placed in the semifinals after first runner-up Kára McCullough declined to take the title (when she was preparing for the following year's state pageant), assumed the title when Deshauna Barber won Miss USA
2016	Deshauna Barber	Washington, D.C.	26		Miss USA 2016		First active-duty soldier at the time of crowning Member of the United States Armed Forces Top 9 at Miss Universe 2016
2015	Lizzy Olsen	Washington, D.C.	25
2014	Ciera Nicole Butts		23				Previously Miss Maryland United States 2013 Winner of Oxygen's reality series Last Squad Standing
2013	Jessica Frith		26
2012	Monique Thompkins		23				Washington Redskins Cheerleader
2011	Heather Swann		22
2010	MacKenzie Green		21
2009	Nicole White		20				Previously Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2004
2008	Chelsey Rodgers		25				Contestant at National Sweetheart 2006^[1] Current executive director of Miss District of Columbia USA pageants
2007	Mercedes Lindsay		26
2006	Candace Allen	Washington, D.C.	22		Top 10
2005	Sarah-Elizabeth Langford	Washington, D.C.	25				Previously Miss District of Columbia 2002; contestant and winner on Fear Factor in 2005 Miss USA episode #5.29
2004	Tiara Dews		21				Previously Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2000, top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2000
2003	Michelle Dollie Wright		26				Previously Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 1995
2002	Diahann Adair Doyen		23		Originally first runner-up; succeeded the title when Shauntay Hinton won Miss USA
2002	Shauntay Hinton	Washington, D.C.	23		Miss USA 2002		Non-semi-finalist at Miss Universe 2002
2001	Liane Angus	Washington, D.C.	24		1st runner-up
2000	Juel April Casamayor	Washington, D.C.	18				Washington Redskins Cheerleader
1999	Amy Alderson		27				Sister of Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1994, top 6 at Miss Teen USA 1994 and Miss Tennessee USA 2002, Allison Alderson
1998	Zanice Lyles		24
1997	Napiera Groves		21			Miss Congeniality
1996	La Chanda Jenkins		19
1995	Marci Andrews		27
1994	Angela McGlowan		25
1993	Alena Neves		18
1992	Wanda Jones		20
1991	Lakecia Smith		27
1990	Catherine Staples	Washington, D.C.	23		Top 12
1989	Somaly Susan Sieng	Washington, D.C.	24
1988	Elva Anderson		27			Miss Congeniality
1987	Edwina Richard		18
1986	Desiree Keating						Previously Miss District of Columbia 1984
1985	Christal Chacon
1984	Steffanee Leaming	Washington, D.C.	21		4th runner-up
1983	Julie Anne Warner	Washington, D.C.
1982	Lori Esteep
1981	Belinda Johnson
1980	Marianne Ritter		18
1979	Cynthia Ramsay		19
1978	Wanda Clineman		23
1977	Sharon Sutherland	Washington, D.C.	25		Top 12
1976	Nancy Stitt	Washington, D.C.	20				Nancy Sitt competed at Miss USA,^[2] but Mary Theresa Clair is listed as Miss DC USA 1976 on the Miss DC USA website.
1975	Mary Lamond	Washington, D.C.	27		Top 12
1974	Robin Lee Utterback		22		Top 12
1973	Nancy Plachta		22		Top 12
1972	Janet Gail Greenawalt		18		Top 12
1971	Sue Lowden		19		Top 12		Later Miss New Jersey 1973 as Suzanne Plummer 2nd Runner-up to Miss America 1974
1970	Nikki Phillipp		27		Top 15
1969	Shelley Gosman	Washington, D.C.
1968	Diane Mothershead	Washington, D.C.	23				Previously semi-finalist at Miss World USA 1967
1967	Myra Chudy	Washington, D.C.	26		Top 15
1966	Sue Counts	Washington, D.C.	19		Top 15
1965	Dianna Lynn Batts	Washington, D.C.			4th runner-up		Model on The Price Is Right, later Miss USA World 1965 and 1st runner up in Miss World 1965
1964	Bobbi Johnson	Washington, D.C.	19		Miss USA 1964		Top 15 at Miss Universe 1964
1963	Michele Metrinko	Washington, D.C.			1st runner-up		Later won the Miss New York City World 1963 and Miss USA World 1963 pageants, and placed as a top 14 semi-finalist at Miss World 1963. Her sister Marsha Metrinko also competed at Miss USA 1963 as Miss Maryland and in Miss America 1963 as Miss New York City.^[3] Candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2010 U.S. House of Rep. election in Delaware for Delaware's at-large congressional district under her married name Michele Rollins.
1962	Helen Sweeney	Washington, D.C.	27		Top 16
1961	Patricia Brunette
1960	Doris Lee Jones
1959	Shirley Ann Hobbs
1958	Peggy Wolf
1957	colspan="7"
1956	Joanne Holler
1955	colspan="7"
1954	Laura Farley	Washington, D.C.	21		Top 19
1953	colspan="7" rowspan="2"
1952

External links

Miss District of Columbia USA official website

Notes and References

Web site: National Sweetheart . Pageantopolis . September 6, 2010 . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20150722134057/http://www.pageantopolis.com/national/national_sweetheart.htm . July 22, 2015 .
Web site: Miss USA 1976 Parade of States . YouTube.
News: Miss USA roots sister on in Miss America bid. Hartford Courant. 1963-09-02. 20A.