| Miss Illinois | |
| Formation: | 1922 |
| Type: | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters: | Marion |
| Location: | Illinois |
| Membership: | Miss America |
| Language: | English |
| Key People: | Dr. Susan Shea (Executive Director) |
| Website: | Official website |
The Miss Illinois is a pageant program affiliated with Miss America, which is competition for women models representing the state of Illinois.
The first "Miss Illinois" sent to the national pageant was Lois Delander who subsequently won the Miss America title. Including Delander, five Miss Illinois representatives have won the Miss America title.
Breana Bagley was crowned Miss Illinois 2024 on June 15, 2024, at the Marion Cultural Arts & Civic Center in Marion. She will represent Illinois and compete for the title of Miss America 2025.
The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss Illinois 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.
Awards received by contestants competing as Miss Chicago at the national pageant are denoted with a "*".
Illinois holds a record of 36 placements at Miss America.
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age | Local Title | Miss America Talent | Placement at Miss America | Special scholarships at Miss America | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Breana Bagley | Decatur | 26 | Miss Land of Lincoln | Dance | TBA | TBA | ||
| 2023 | Jessica Tilton[1] | Washington | 25 | Miss Quad Cities | Color Guard | Charles & Theresa Brown Scholarship | First woman in history to compete a flag performance as a talent at Miss America. | ||
| 2022 | Monica Nia Jones[2] | Chicago | 26 | Miss Windy City | Violin | Top 11 | America's Choice | ||
| 2021 | Isabelle Hanson[3] | Glen Ellyn | 25 | Miss Northern Suburbs | Violin | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | Previously Miss Illinois' Outstanding Teen 2013[4] | |
| 2019–20 | Ariel Beverly[5] | Springfield | 24 | Miss East Central | Vocal | Equity & Justice Scholarship Award Finalist[6] | |||
| 2018 | Grace Khachaturian[7] | Champaign | 21 | Miss Capital City | Lyrical Dance, "You Raise Me Up" | Previously Miss Illinois' Outstanding Teen 2012[8] | |||
| 2017 | Abby Foster[9] | Danville | 21 | Miss East Central | Jazz Dance, Grease medley | Top 15[10] | America's Choice | Former NFL cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts[11] | |
| 2016 | Jaryn Franklin | East Moline | 23 | Miss Blackhawk Valley | Vocal, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" | STEM Scholarship Award | |||
| 2015 | Crystal Davis | Anna | 22 | Miss Southern Illinois | Vocal, "That's Life" | ||||
| 2014 | Marisa Buchheit[12] | Chicago | 24 | Miss Chicago | Operatic Vocal, "Je veux vivre" from Roméo et Juliette | Charles & Theresa Brown Scholarship[13] | |||
| 2013 | Brittany Smith | Elmhurst | 23 | Miss Northern Suburbs | Irish Step Dancing, "Lord of the Dance" | ||||
| 2012 | Megan Jo Ervin | Rushville | 23 | Miss Quincy | Dance, "Faithfully" | Top 10 | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | Contestant at National Sweetheart 2011 pageant | |
| 2011 | Hannah Smith[14] | Huntley | 20 | Miss Windy City | Ballet en Pointe, "Palladio" | Top 10 | |||
| 2010 | Whitney Thorpe-Klinsky | New Baden | 22 | Miss River to River | Tap Dance, "On the Dance Floor" | ||||
| 2009 | Erin O'Connor | Evergreen Park | 20 | Miss Macomb | Ballet en Pointe, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody Remix" | ||||
| 2008 | Katie Lorenz | Chicago | 24 | Miss Chicago | Lyrical Dance, "Footprints in the Sand" | ||||
| 2007 | Ashley Hatfield[15] | Anna | 24 | Miss Heartland | Vocal, "To Love You More" | ||||
| 2006 | Heidi Ekstrom | Mundelein | 24 | Miss Kane County | Ballet en Pointe, "Ride" | ||||
| 2005 | Lauren Allen | Batavia | 21 | Miss Western Suburbs | Freestyle Gymnastics, "Rhythm of the Night" | ||||
| 2004 | Michelle LaGroue | Naperville | 24 | Miss Chicago | Vocal, "I Know the Truth" from Aida | Previously held the title of Miss Illinois in 2002 after Harold was named Miss America 2003 | |||
| 2003 | Andrea Fritz | Schaumburg | 21 | Lyrical Dance, "Dance With My Father" | |||||
| 2002 | Michelle LaGroue | Naperville | Miss Tinley Park | colspan=3 | |||||
| Erika Harold | Urbana | 22 | Miss Land of Lincoln | Classical Vocal, "Habanera" | Winner | Preliminary Interview Award Preliminary On-stage Interview Award Overall Interview Award | |||
| 2001 | Kristin Castillo | Macomb | 18 | Miss Macomb | Classical Violin, "Praeludium & Allegro" | ||||
| 2000 | Jenny Powers | Andover, Massachusetts | 21 | Miss Northern Illinois | Classical Vocal, "Quando me'n vo'" | Preliminary Talent Award Non-finalist Talent Award | Was eligible to compete for Miss Illinois as a student at Northwestern University | ||
| 1999 | Jade Smalls | Evanston | 21 | Miss Chicago | Classical Piano, "Etude in C Minor" | 1st runner-up | |||
| 1998 | Amanda Jo Meadows | Sycamore | 20 | Miss Macomb | Baton, "María" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| 1997 | Ashley Eisenhauer | Herrin | Miss John A. Logan | colspan=3 | |||||
| Katherine Shindle | Evanston | 20 | Miss Lake-Cook | Vocal, "Don't Rain on My Parade" | Winner | Preliminary Talent Award | |||
| 1996 | Tania Gibson | Lake Barrington | 19 | Miss Fox River Valley | Vocal, "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard | ||||
| 1995 | Tracy Hayes | Wheaton | 22 | Miss Greater DuPage County | Vocal, "Tonight" | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | ||
| 1994 | Chuti Tiu[16] | Chicago | 24 | Miss Kankakee | Classical Piano | Non-finalist Talent Award | Previously America's Junior Miss 1987[17] | ||
| 1993 | Sara Martin[18] | Schaumburg | 20 | Miss Schaumburg | Vocal, "Hello, Young Lovers" | Non-finalist Talent Award | Previously America's Junior Miss 1990[19] | ||
| 1992 | Kathleen Farrell | Chicago | 23 | Miss Kankakee | Classical Piano, "Danza No. 5" | Non-finalist Talent Award | Sister of Miss New York 1984, Mary-Ann Farrell and Miss Florida 1985, Monica Farrell Later Miss Illinois USA 1994Top 10 at Miss USA 1994Mother of Miss Ohio 2022, Elizabetta Nies | ||
| 1991 | Cheryl Majercik | Niles | 26 | Miss Chicago | Classical Vocal, "O Mio Babbino Caro" | Non-finalist Talent Award Quality of Life Award | |||
| 1990 | Jaclyn Greer | Granite City | Miss Madison County | colspan=3 | |||||
| Marjorie Vincent | Oak Park | 25 | Miss Kankakee | Classical Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu | Winner | Preliminary Talent Award | |||
| 1989 | Jeri Lynn Zimmermann | Evanston | 21 | Miss Northwestern University | Vocal, "On My Own" | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | Best known for playing the Borg Seven of Nine on [20] | |
| 1988 | Dawn Spicuzza | Collinsville | 22 | Miss Mississippi Valley | Vocal, "If I Loved You" | ||||
| 1987 | Cindi Hodgkins | Schaumburg | 22 | Miss Chicago | Vocal Medley, "My Man" & "But the World Goes Round" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| 1986 | Lisa Heussner | Pekin | 21 | Miss Pekin | Dramatic Interpretation, "Emily Dickinson, Portrait of a Poet" | ||||
| 1985 | Karen Moncrieff | Chicago | 21 | Miss Northwestern University | Popular Vocal, "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles | ||||
| 1984 | Ruth Booker | 21 | Miss Chicago | Vocal, "Kiss Me In the Rain" | |||||
| 1983 | Rebecca Bush | 24 | Vocal, "It's My Turn" | Played Detective Katie Grant on Jake and the Fatman | |||||
| 1982 | Jaleigh Jeffers | Mt. Carmel | 21 | Miss Southern Illinois | Piano, '"Bumble Boogie" | ||||
| 1981 | Sandra Truitt | Evanston | 25 | Miss North Shore | Classical Vocal, "Près des remparts de Séville" from Carmen | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
| 1980 | Blythe Sawyer | Naperville | 22 | Miss Chicago | Classical Vocal, "The Jewel Song" from Faust | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| 1979 | Elizabeth Russell | Pekin | 20 | Miss Heart of Illinois | Classical Vocal, "O Luce di Quest'Anima" from Linda di Chamounix | Assumed title after original winner, Shanna McNeill, was stripped of the title[21] [22] | |||
| 1978 | Debra Carlson | Ottawa | 19 | Miss Ottawa | Flute, "Carnival of Venice" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| 1977 | Nancy Beatty | Avon | 22 | Miss Macomb | Classical Vocal, "Voices of Spring" | ||||
| 1976 | Betsy Jamison | Mundelein | 24 | Miss Lake County | Popular Vocal, "Who Will Buy?" from Oliver! | ||||
| 1975 | Jean Waters | Tuscola | 22 | Miss Crossroads Country | Gymnastic Dance / Trampoline, "High School Cadets" | ||||
| 1974 | Jean Ahern | Hinsdale | 21 | Miss Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills | Ballet en Pointe, "Kitri's Variation" from Don Quixote | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
| 1973 | Colleen Metternich | Carthage | 23 | Miss Heart of Illinois | Piano, "Variations on a Twelve Note Theme" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
| 1972 | Carolyn Paulus | Elmhurst | 20 | Miss Macomb | Classical Vocal, "Glitter And Be Gay" from Candide | ||||
| 1971 | Anita Pankratz | Chicago | 21 | Miss Chicago | Vocal / Piano, "Someone to Watch Over Me" | ||||
| 1970 | Lynn Alexander | Loami | 18 | Miss Springfield | Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" | ||||
| 1969 | Dulcie Scripture | Elgin | 20 | Miss Elgin | Piano, "Khachaturian's Toccata" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| 1968 | Sharon Mitchell | Westchester | 19 | Miss Bellwood-Westchester | colspan=3 | ||||
| Judith Ford | Belvidere | 18 | Miss Boone County | Acrobatic Dance & Trampoline, "The Blue Danube" | Winner | Preliminary Swimsuit Award Preliminary Talent Award | |||
| 1967 | Kathryn Myers | Aurora | 20 | Miss Fox Valley | Dramatic Reading from Ion | ||||
| 1966 | Mary Lee Inzerello | Elk Grove | 19 | Miss Adams County | Modern Dance | ||||
| 1965 | Kathleen Oros | Granite City | 20 | Miss Granite City | Popular Vocal, "Just You Wait" from My Fair Lady | ||||
| 1964 | Patricia Quillen | North Aurora | 21 | Miss Fox Valley | Clarinet | Finalist at National Press Photographers' Pageant 1962 | |||
| 1963 | Judith Schlieper | Decatur | 20 | Miss Decatur | Siamese Dance | ||||
| 1962 | Donnalyn Freund | Winnetka | 20 | Miss Chicago | Vocal, "I Enjoy Being a Girl" | Non-finalist Talent Award | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||
| Pamela Gilbert | Carbondale | 21 | Miss Illinois | Dramatic Reading | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | ||||
| 1961 | Nancy Kesler | Oak Park | 18 | Miss Chicago | Modern Dance | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Jacqueline Bingert | Winthrop Harbor | 21 | Miss Illinois | Tap Dance & India Ink Sketching | |||||
| 1960 | Margaret McDowell | Evanston | 21 | Miss Chicago | Dramatic Reading | Non-finalist Talent Award | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||
| Vicky Joyce Nutter | Vandalia | 18 | Miss Illinois | Presentation of Fashion Designs | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||||
| 1959 | Carol Rubin | Chicago | 18 | Miss Chicago | Modern Jazz Dance | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Suzanne Ingeborg Johnson | Chicago | 21 | Miss Illinois | Vocal, "Hello, Young Lovers" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |||
| 1958 | Audra Deckmann | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Dance | Non-finalist Talent Award | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Anita Ruth Olson | River Forest | Miss Illinois | Piano, "Rhapsody in G Minor" by Johannes Brahms | ||||||
| 1957 | Bette Lieb | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Dramatic Monologue from Romeo and Juliet | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||||
| Jeannie Beacham | Downers Grove | Miss Illinois | Drama, "The Great Debates" | ||||||
| 1956 | Sandra Jean Stuart | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Water Ballet Video Presentation | Top 10 | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||
| Tillie Micheletto | Collinsville | Miss Illinois | Vocal | ||||||
| 1955 | Florence Gallagher | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Semi-classical Vocal, "Love Is Where You Find It" | 2nd runner-up | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Marian Elizabeth Cox | Oak Park | Miss Illinois | Vocal, "If I Loved You" | ||||||
| 1954 | Regina Dombeck | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Dramatic Monologue from Mary of Scotland by Maxwell Anderson | Top 10 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Patsy Bruce | Carbondale | Miss Illinois | Dramatic Reading | Miss Congeniality | |||||
| 1953 | Carol Segermark | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Vocal | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||||
| Jacquie Dumbauld | Alton | Miss Illinois | Piano / Dance | ||||||
| 1952 | Jo Hoppe | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Tap Dance | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||
| Glenna Marie Pohly | Rock Falls | Miss Illinois | Flute | ||||||
| 1951 | Adrianne Falcon | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Vocal & Dance | Top 10 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Doris King | Granite City | Miss Illinois | Dance | ||||||
| 1950 | Marjorie Adams | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Monologue, "To the Lovely Margaret" | Top 16 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Catherine Kleinschmidt | Granite City | Miss Illinois | Vocal, "Come to the Fair" | ||||||
| 1949 | Teresa Giorgian | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Vocal, "Jealousy" | Top 15 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Trudi Germi | Chicago | Miss Illinois | Classical Vocal, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | ||||
| 1948 | Lois Nettleton | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Dramatic Monologue from Saint Joan | Top 15 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Viola Ruth Hutmacher | Quincy | Miss Illinois | Classical Vocal, "Italian Street Song" | ||||||
| 1947 | Joan Hiatt | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Vocal, "Kiss In the Dark" | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||||
| Maree Evans | Joliet | Dress Design & Art | |||||||
| 1946 | Cloris Leachman | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Comic Sketch, "One Man Radio Program" | Top 16 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Patricia Frye | Pekin | Miss Illinois | Vocal / Tap Dance, "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do" | Top 16 | |||||
| 1945 | Lee Mercer Wieland | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Monologue, "A Lesson With a Fan" | Top 13 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Beverly Long | Joliet | ||||||||
| 1944 | Elaine Steinbach | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Vocal, "You'll Never Know" | 3rd runner-up | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Betty June King | Bloomington | Miss Illinois | Acrobatic Dance, "Stardust" | Top 12 | |||||
| 1943 | Marjorie Nelson | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Rhythmic Ballet | Top 10 | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| Dorothy Belle Kohrt | Ottawa, Illinois | Miss Illinois | |||||||
| 1942 | Bette Brunk | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Hula, "Hawaiian War Chant" | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | ||
| Patricia Hayes | Rochelle | Miss Illinois | Dramatic Recitation | Top 10 | |||||
| 1941 | No Illinois representative at Miss America pageant[23] [24] | ||||||||
| 1940 | |||||||||
| 1939 | Ethel Lorraine Lodbell | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Monologue, "From the Diary of a Contestant" | Top 15 | No Miss Illinois Competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||
| 1938 | No Illinois representative at Miss America pageant[25] [26] | ||||||||
| 1937 | |||||||||
| 1936 | Genevieve Anderson | Chicago | Miss Chicago | Multiple Illinois representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant | |||||
| Arlene Causey | Chicago | Miss Cook County | 3rd runner-up | Best Model | |||||
| Virginia Moeller | Springfield | ||||||||
| 1935 | No Illinois representative at Miss America pageant[27] | ||||||||
| 1934 | No national pageant was held[28] | ||||||||
| 1933 | Lillian Mary Kroener | 18 | N/A | Disqualified because she resided in St. Louis, Missouri | |||||
| 1932 | No national pageants were held | ||||||||
| 1931 | |||||||||
| 1930 | |||||||||
| 1929 | |||||||||
| 1928 | |||||||||
| 1927 | Myrtle Valsted | Chicago | Miss Chicago | [29] | |||||
| Gladys Vile | Danville | Miss Danville | |||||||
| Lois Delander | Joliet | 16 | Miss Illinois | Winner | |||||
| Anna G. Bernard | Springfield | Miss Springfield | |||||||
| 1926 | Mae Greene | Chicago | Miss Chicago | ||||||
| 1925 | Margarita Gonzales | ||||||||
| Lucille Burns | Elgin | Miss Elgin | |||||||
| 1924 | Margaret Leigh | Chicago | Miss Chicago | 4th runner-up | |||||
| Virginia Lipscomb | Decatur | Miss Decatur | |||||||
| 1923 | Corrine Dellefield[30] | Chicago | Miss Chicago | ||||||
| 1922 | Georgia Hale[31] | 22 | Competed under local title at national pageant Later starred in Charlie Chaplin's 1925 film, The Gold Rush,[32] and the 1926 silent film, The Great Gatsby[33] | ||||||
| 1921 | |||||||||