# Miss USA 1985

Miss USA 1985 was the 34th Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Lakeland Civic Auditorium in Lakeland, Florida on May 13, 1985, in honor of the city's centennial anniversary with a special cameo appearance by Mayor Thomas R. Shaw. At the conclusion of the final competition, Laura Harring of Texas was crowned Miss USA 1985 by outgoing titleholder Mai Shanley of New Mexico.
Harring was the first Latina to win the crown. She later became an actress, appearing in a number of films including Mulholland Drive and as John Travolta's character's wife in The Punisher.

## Results
### Placements

| Final results | Contestant |
| Miss USA 1985 | Texas - Laura Harring |
| 1st Runner-Up | New Mexico - Brenda Denton |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Illinois - Laura Ann Bach |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Louisiana - Sarie Joubert |
| 4th Runner-Up | Minnesota - Kari Lee Johnson |
| Top 10 | Arizona - Michelle Ducote Hawaii - Tina Machado Massachusetts - Mercedes Waggoner Missouri - Amy Ruth Coverdale Oklahoma - Sophia Henderson |

## Delegates

The Miss USA 1985 delegates were:
| State | Name | Hometown | Age$^1$ | Notes |
| Alabama | Allison Sawyer | Birmingham | 20 | |
| Alaska | Kari Moore | Fairbanks | 18 | |
| Arizona | Michelle Ducote | Tempe | 22 | |
| Arkansas | Susan Dean | Osceola | 23 | |
| California | Zina Ponder | Long Beach | 22 | |
| Colorado | Lynnette Jessen | Denver | 23 | Previously Miss Colorado 1981 |
| Connecticut | Adrianne Hazelwood | Hamden | 18 | Previously Miss Wisconsin Teen USA 1984 |
| Delaware | Sheila Saints | Wilmington | 21 | |
| District of Columbia | Christal Chacon | Washington, D.C. | 18 | |
| Florida | Barbi Losh | North Miami Beach | 21 | |
| Georgia | Amanda Smith | Smyrna | 24 | |
| Hawaii | Tina Machado | Honolulu | 25 | |
| Idaho | Sheri Rose | Boise | 24 | |
| Illinois | Laura Bach | Elmhurst | 23 | |
| Indiana | Theresa Hobbs | Bloomington | 23 | |
| Iowa | Devin Steinberg | Manson | 21 | |
| Kansas | Jill Denzin | Leawood | 21 | |
| Kentucky | Robyn Overbey | Calvert City | 24 | |
| Louisiana | Sarie Joubert | Shreveport | 22 | |
| Maine | Tracie Samara | Portland | 22 | |
| Maryland | Christine Marie | Baldwin | 20 | |
| Massachusetts | Mercedes Waggoner | Boston | 21 | |
| Michigan | Nancy Mazuro | Washington | 17 | |
| Minnesota | Kari Lee Johnson | Minneapolis | 20 | |
| Mississippi | Camille Gilliland | Meridian | 19 | |
| Missouri | Amy Coverdale | Columbia | 22 | |
| Montana | Julie Knox | Bozeman | 19 | |
| Nebraska | Lori Straight | Omaha | 20 | |
| Nevada | Alicia Berger | Las Vegas | 19 | Entertainment reporter for KVBC-DT and regular contributor for Access Hollywood |
| New Hampshire | Janice LaCroix | Manchester | 21 | Originally first runner-up after Rhonda Niles dethroned due to stealing clothes during the state pageant competition |
| New Jersey | Francie Knapp | Linwood | 24 | |
| New Mexico | Brenda Denton | Hobbs | 21 | Represented the United States in Miss World 1985 where she placed as Second Runner Up |
| New York | Lovey King | Yonkers | 20 | |
| North Carolina | Kate Kenney | Raleigh | 23 | |
| North Dakota | Regina Schatz | Fargo | 22 | |
| Ohio | Lisa Barlow | Vandalia | 22 | |
| Oklahoma | Sophia Henderson | Tulsa | 21 | |
| Oregon | Jodi Unruh | Eugene | 20 | |
| Pennsylvania | Sandi Ferguson | Jefferson Hills | 18 | |
| Rhode Island | Dana Wilson | Riverside | 21 | |
| South Carolina | Ann Margarete Hughes | Summerville | 23 | |
| South Dakota | Stacey Arnold | Rapid City | 21 | |
| Tennessee | Martha Browning | Chattanooga | 24 | First deaf Miss USA contestant. |
| Texas | Laura Harring | El Paso | 21 | Born in Mexico |
| Utah | Kim Thompson | Salt Lake City | 18 | |
| Vermont | Angie Cummingham | Rutland | 20 | |
| Virginia | Dana Bryant | Richmond | 18 | |
| Washington | Sherry Rials | Bellevue | 23 | |
| West Virginia | Lorre Lewis | Barboursville | 20 | |
| Wisconsin | Deborah Lynn Strauss | Thiensville | 22 | |
| Wyoming | Wendy Hartwigsen | Gillette | 19 | |