# Miss America 1986

Miss America 1986, the 59th Miss America pageant, took place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 14, 1985 and was broadcast on NBC Network.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1986 | Mississippi – Susan Akin |
| 1st runner-up | South Carolina – Sherry Thrift |
| 2nd runner-up | Texas – Jonna Fitzgerald |
| 3rd runner-up | Washington – Honey Castro |
| 4th runner-up | Alabama – Angela Tower |
| Top 10 | Indiana – Laurie Broderick  Kentucky – Laurie Keller  Michigan – Alecia Masalkoski  New Mexico – Valerie Faber  Ohio – Suellen Cochran |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Alabama - Angela Tower Ohio - Suellen Cochran Mississippi - Susan Akin |
| Talent | Indiana - Laurie Broderick Ohio - Suellen Cochran Texas - Jonna Fitzgerald |

#### Non-finalist awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Talent | Florida - Monica Farrell Hawaii - Jeanne Miyamoto Massachusetts - Lisa Kleypas Nebraska - Julie Meusburger Nevada - Sonja Nall New York - Jill Privateer Pennsylvania - Lea Schiazza Vermont - Erica Van Der Linde |

## Delegates

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Special Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Angela Tower | Birmingham | 25 | Ballet en Pointe, "Chariots of Fire" | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | Toured with the 1986 Miss America Gillette Show Troupe Mother of Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen 2010, Scarlett Walker, and Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen 2012 and Miss Alabama 2018, Callie Walker |
| Alaska | Kristina Christopher-Taylor | Palmer | 20 | Comedy Monologue | | | |
| Arizona | Diane Martin | Phoenix | 23 | Vocal, "The Man That Got Away" & "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret | | | Later Miss Arizona USA 1987 2nd runner-up at Miss USA 1987 |
| Arkansas | Christi Taunton | Camden | 20 | Popular Vocal, "Remembering" | | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | |
| California | Lisa Davenport | Santa Cruz | 23 | Popular Vocal, "Once in my Lifetime" | | | Previously named Miss California 1982 when original winner, Debra Maffett, won Miss America 1983 Became the first titleholder to hold a state title twice |
| Colorado | Linda Trimmer | Denver | 22 | Vocal, "He Touched Me" from Drat! The Cat! | | | |
| Connecticut | Lorine Guagenti | Derby | 21 | Jazz Dance | | | |
| Delaware | Lisa Anne Patrick | Newark | 24 | Character Ballet en Pointe | | | |
| District of Columbia | Cherie Ward | Adelphi, MD | 22 | Original Drama | | | |
| Florida | Monica Farrell | Jacksonville | 21 | Classical Piano, "Prelude No. 5 in G Minor" by Sergei Rachmaninoff | | Non-finalist Talent Award | Sister of Miss New York 1984, Mary-Ann Farrell and Miss Illinois 1992, Kathleen Farrell Later Miss Florida USA 1988 3rd runner-up at Miss USA 1988 |
| Georgia | Samantha Mohr | Columbus | 23 | Popular Vocal, "Wind Beneath My Wings" | | | |
| Hawaii | Jeanne Miyamoto | Honolulu | 25 | Vocal, "Bali Ha'i" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Idaho | Nanette South | Rexburg | 19 | Alto Saxophone | | | |
| Illinois | Karen Moncrieff | Chicago | 21 | Popular Vocal, "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles | | | |
| Indiana | Laurie Broderick | Elkhart | 21 | Dance/Twirl | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Iowa | Sherri Bowman | Council Bluffs | 24 | Piano | | | |
| Kansas | Carolyn Jo Kirgis | Salina | 25 | Vocal, "Our Love Is Here to Stay" | | | Carolyn Jo Kirgis Johnson died in Phillipsburg, Kansas of complications with Multiple Sclerosis on July 24, 2022 at age 61. |
| Kentucky | Laurie Janine Keller | Nippa | 21 | Vocal/Ballet en Pointe, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" | Top 10 | | |
| Louisiana | Carol Carter | Shreveport | 20 | Vocal, "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin | | | Later Miss Louisiana USA 1987 |
| Maine | Mary Margaret Nightingale | Fort Fairfield | 20 | Vocal, "The Blue Danube" | | | |
| Maryland | Jennifer Louise Charlton | Bethesda | 22 | Vocal/Dance, "Last Blues Song" | | | |
| Massachusetts | Lisa Kleypas | Carlisle | 20 | Original Vocal Composition & Guitar, "Love You Are My Wings" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Michigan | Alecia Rae Masalkoski | Muskegon | 23 | Karate Kata | Top 10 | | Holds a black belt in karate Later Miss Indiana USA 1987 |
| Minnesota | Elizabeth Hunter | Austin | 21 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Love Is Where You Find It" | | | |
| Mississippi | Susan Akin | Meridian | 21 | Vocal, "You're My World" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Missouri | Lisa Coverdale | Columbia | 24 | Classical Piano | | | |
| Montana | Julie Culbertson | Billings | 19 | Jazz Dance | | | |
| Nebraska | Julie Meusburger | Lincoln | 22 | Flute, Carmen Fantasy | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Nevada | Sonja Nall | Las Vegas | 23 | Classical Ballet en Pointe, "Kitri's Variation" from Don Quixote | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| New Hampshire | Tami Jean Brisebois | Deerfield | 24 | Modern Dance | | | |
| New Jersey | Toni Georgiana | Cherry Hill | 21 | Acrobatic Dance, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" | | | |
| New Mexico | Valerie Faber | Hobbs | 26 | Classical Piano, "Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53" | Top 10 | | |
| New York | Jill Privateer | Fredonia | 21 | Vocal, "Shine On, Harvest Moon" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| North Carolina | Joni Parker | Fayetteville | 24 | Vocal, "The Shadow of Your Smile" | | | |
| North Dakota | Elizabeth Anne Jaeger | Fargo | 25 | Jazz Dance | | | Previously Miss North Dakota USA 1983 4th runner-up at Miss USA 1983 |
| Ohio | Suellen Cochran | Heath | 21 | Piano, "Variations on Chopsticks" | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Oklahoma | Felicia Ferguson | Oklahoma City | 24 | Vocal, "You Don't Know Me" | | | |
| Oregon | Dana Kocks | Ashland | 21 | Classical Vocal, "Seguidilla" from Carmen | | | |
| Pennsylvania | Lea Schiazza | Philadelphia | 23 | Vocal, "Who's Sorry Now' | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Rhode Island | Lori Boucher | Pawtucket | 20 | Vocal, "Losing My Mind" | | | |
| South Carolina | Sherry Thrift | Westminster | 23 | Clogging, "Are You From Dixie?" | 1st runner-up | | Previously South Carolina's Junior Miss 1980 |
| South Dakota | Amy DeHeer | Hot Springs | 21 | Vocal, "Who Will Buy?" from Oliver! | | | |
| Tennessee | Sonya Pleasant | Mountain City | 22 | Vocal, "I Fall to Pieces" | | | |
| Texas | Jonna Fitzgerald | Tyler | 21 | Fiddle, "Csárdás" & "Orange Blossom Special" | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Utah | Gina Larsen | Provo | 21 | Popular Vocal, "Greatest Love of All" | | | |
| Vermont | Erica Van Der Linde | Old Bennington | 21 | Classical Piano, "Waldesrauschen" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Virginia | Kimberly Johnson | Coeburn | 19 | Vocal & Piano, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" | | | |
| Washington | Honey Castro | Moses Lake | 19 | Vocal, "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now" from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | 3rd runner-up | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | |
| West Virginia | Rebecca Porterfield | Martinsburg | 21 | Jazz Dance, "Dance Attack" | | | |
| Wisconsin | Mary Kay Anderson | St. Francis | 20 | Piano, "Frederik Chopin's Etude, Winter Wind, Op 25, No 11" | | | Later Miss Wisconsin-USA 1988 |
| Wyoming | Tamra Jo Dereemer | Horse Creek | 22 | Popular Vocal, "God Bless the USA" | | | |

## Judges

* Marian McKnight
* Chris Schenkel
* Jerome Hines
* Georgia Gibbs
* Gilbert Mitchell
* John Zerbe
* Cicely Tyson