| Winner: | Sharlene Wells Hawkes |
| Represented: | Utah |
| Date: | September 15, 1984 |
| Presenters: | Gary Collins |
| Venue: | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Broadcaster: | NBC |
| Before: | 1984 |
| Next: | 1986 |
Miss America 1985, the 58th Miss America pageant, was broadcast from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 15, 1984 on NBC Network.[1]
The winner, Paraguay native Sharlene Wells,[2] became the first foreign-born Miss America. She later became a horse-racing and football commentator for ESPN.
Another of the five finalists, Lauren Green, is currently a correspondent on the Fox News Channel.
| Placement | Contestant | |
|---|---|---|
| Miss America 1985 | ||
| 1st Runner-Up |
| |
| 2nd Runner-Up |
| |
| 3rd Runner-Up | ||
| 4th Runner-Up | ||
| Top 10 |
|
| Awards | Contestant | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifestyle and Fitness |
| |
| Talent |
|
| Alabama | Tammy Little | Section | 23 | Vocal, "Hit Me with a Hot Note" from Sophisticated Ladies | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Alaska | Maryline Blackburn | Anchorage | 23 | Vocal, "I Am What I Am" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Arizona | Rhonda White | Central | 20 | Country Vocal Medley | ||||
| Arkansas | Lisa Stevens | Arkadelphia | 22 | Flute, "Sabre Dance" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| California | Donna Grace Cherry | Northridge | 21 | Vocal, "Quando me'n vo'" | ||||
| Colorado | Lisa Frees | Thornton | 25 | Vocal, "I Got Rhythm" | ||||
| Connecticut | Joanne Caruso | Trumbull | 23 | Clarinet, "Jazz Medley" | Sister of Miss Connecticut 1980, Jeanne Caruso | |||
| Delaware | Nancy Lynn Ball | Rehoboth Beach | 24 | Jazz Ballet en Pointe | ||||
| District of Columbia | Desiree Keating | Silver Spring, MD | 22 | Interpretive Dance | Later Miss District of Columbia USA 1986 | |||
| Florida | Lisa Valdez | Bradenton | 21 | Vocal, "Through the Eyes of Love" | ||||
| Georgia | Camille Bentley | Thomasville | 19 | Popular Vocal, "Until Now" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Hawaii | Debbie Nakanelua | Honolulu | 26 | Stylized Hula, "Hawaiian Hula Eyes" | Top 10 | |||
| Idaho | Patty Hoag | Burley | 19 | Popular Vocal, "Wind Beneath My Wings" | ||||
| Illinois | Ruth Booker | Chicago | 21 | Vocal, "Kiss Me in the Rain" | ||||
| Indiana | Cynthia Yantis | Fort Wayne | 23 | Popular Vocal, "City Lights" | ||||
| Iowa | Debra Deitering | Missouri Valley | 23 | Vocal, "This is My Life" | ||||
| Kansas | Nancy Lee Cobb | Wichita | 20 | Piano/Vocal, "I Love New Orleans Music" | ||||
| Kentucky | Kelly Lin Brumagen | Lexington | 22 | Vocal, "Le Jazz Hot!" from Victor/Victoria | Top 10 | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | ||
| Louisiana | Nita Whitaker | Shreveport | 24 | Popular Vocal, "Over the Rainbow" | First African American to win Miss Louisiana | |||
| Maine | Lisa Johnson | South Portland | 22 | Electric Violin | ||||
| Maryland | Mary Elizabeth Haroth | Towson | 25 | Vocal, "Memory" from Cats | ||||
| Massachusetts | Margaret O'Brien | Weymouth | 26 | Vocal Medley, "The Man that Got Away", "The Man I Love", & "My Man" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | Previously National Sweetheart 1983 | |
| Michigan | Barbara Jean Crandall | Lawrence | 21 | Ventriloquism, "Auctioneer's Song" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Minnesota | Lauren Green | Minneapolis | 26 | Piano, "Étude Op. 10, No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor" by Frédéric Chopin | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | First African American Miss Minnesota | |
| Mississippi | Kathy Manning | Drew | 22 | Country Vocal, "Crazy" | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | Later Miss Mississippi USA 1987Top 11 at Miss USA 1987 Katharine Clare Manning Loeb died at 59 on December 23, 2021 of COVID-19 related illness in Tennessee. | |
| Missouri | Anna Schell | Kennett | 26 | Semi-classical Vocal, Medley from The Sound of Music | ||||
| Montana | Michele Larson | Billings | 21 | Vocal, "My Tribute" by Andraé Crouch | ||||
| Nebraska | Allison Boyd | Nebraska City | 21 | Acrobatic Dance | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Nevada | LeAnna Grant | Las Vegas | 22 | Vocal, "I Love Paris" | Later Miss Nevada USA 1986 | |||
| New Hampshire | Corinne Lucier | Hooksett | 20 | Vocal, "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Camelot | ||||
| New Jersey | Patricia La Terra | West New York | 24 | Dramatic Monologue | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| New Mexico | Trina Collins | Hobbs | 22 | Acrobatic Dance | Mother of Miss Indiana 2015, Morgan Jackson | |||
| New York | Mary-Ann Farrell | New York City | 22 | Classical Piano, Danzas Argentinas | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | Sister of Miss Florida 1985, Monica Farrell Sister of Miss Illinois 1992, Kathleen Farrell | |
| North Carolina | Francesca Adler | Fayetteville | 23 | Vocal, "Home" | Mother of Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2018, Jessica Baeder | |||
| North Dakota | Callie Northagen | Grand Forks | 21 | Piano | ||||
| Ohio | Melissa Ann Bradley | Mansfield | 23 | Vocal, "A Piece of Sky" from Yentl | 1st runner-up | Mother of actor Chad Buchanan | ||
| Oklahoma | Julie Sunday | Owasso | 21 | Piano | ||||
| Oregon | Renee Bagley | Portland | 22 | Popular Vocal, "Don't Cry Out Loud" | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Gina Major | Huntsville | 24 | Vocal, Judy Garland Medley | ||||
| Rhode Island | Joanna Minisce | North Smithfield | 19 | Modern Jazz Dance | ||||
| South Carolina | Vicki Harrell | Columbia | 22 | Piano | ||||
| South Dakota | Debra Cleveland | Madison | 19 | Classical Piano | ||||
| Tennessee | Shelly Mangrum | Nashville | 23 | Vocal, "And the World Goes 'Round" | Top 10 | |||
| Texas | Tamara Hext | Fort Worth | 21 | Vocal, "I've Got a Crush on You" | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | ||
| Utah | Sharlene Wells | Salt Lake City | 20 | Spanish Vocal & Paraguayan Harp, "Mis Noches Sin Ti" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | First foreign-born Miss America Currently on the Miss America Board of Directors | |
| Vermont | Lorrie Glosick | Winooski | 21 | Vocal, "The Trolley Song" | ||||
| Virginia | Susan Carter Parker | Covington | 23 | Classical Vocal, "My Man's Gone Now" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Washington | Rebecca Wood | Spokane | 21 | Vocal, "If I Ruled the World" | ||||
| West Virginia | Melanne Pennington | Cross Lanes | 24 | Semi-classical Vocal, "One Kiss" from The New Moon | Died from Leukemia at the age of 28 in 1988 | |||
| Wisconsin | Barbara Marie Mullally | Onalaska | 22 | Vocal, "Here I Am" | ||||
| Wyoming | Annie Easterbrook | Laramie | 21 | Gymnastics Jazz Dance |