# Miss America 1997

Miss America 1997, the 70th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 14, 1996, and televised by the NBC Network. Until the 2019 Pageant, this was the last time that NBC aired the Miss America pageant.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1997 | Kansas - Tara Dawn Holland |
| 1st Runner-Up | Louisiana - Erika Rachael Schwarz |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Oregon – Patricia Regan Leines |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Alabama – Alison McCreary |
| 4th Runner-Up | Missouri – Kimberly Anne Massaro |
| Top 10 | Hawaii – Melissa Short  Indiana – Shani Lynn Nielsen  Kentucky – Veronica Marie Duka  Mississippi – Kari Litton  Texas – Michelle Martinez |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Hawaii - Melissa Short Kansas - Tara Dawn Holland Oregon - Patricia Regan Leines |
| Talent | Hawaii - Melissa Short Indiana - Shani Lynn Nielsen Oregon - Patricia Regan Leines |

#### Quality of Life awards

| Results | Contestant | Platform |
| Winner | Alabama - Alison McCreary | Hospice: A Special Kind of Caring |
| 1st runner-up | Kansas - Tara Dawn Holland | - |
| 2nd runner-up | Louisiana - Erika Rachael Schwarz | - |

#### Other awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Albert Marks Jr. Memorial Fund Interview | Florida - Jamie Lynn Bolding |
| Bernie Wayne Performing Arts Scholarship | Indiana - Shani Lynn Nielsen |
| Non-finalist Interview Award | Florida - Jamie Lynn Bolding |
| Non-finalist Talent Award | Colorado - Michelle Stanley Florida - Jamie Lynn Bolding Massachusetts - Lori Flick North Carolina - Jennifer Roberts Ohio - Robyn Hancock Oklahoma - Amy Linn Duncan Virginia - Michelle Kang West Virginia - Kari Anne Safford |
| Waterford Crystal Scholarship | Wyoming - Rebecca Darrington |

## Delegates

The Miss America 1997 delegates are:
| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Alison McCreary | Florence | 22 | Vocal, "How Great Thou Art" | 3rd runner-up | Quality of Life Winner | |
| Alaska | Christine Buschur | Eagle River | 21 | Vocal, "Another Op'nin, Another Show" & "I Got Rhythm" | | | |
| Arizona | Erin Gingrich | Yuma | 21 | Classical Piano, "Rhapsody in Blue" | | | |
| Arkansas | Melonie McGarrah | Rogers | 22 | Vocal, "I Will Always Love You" | | | |
| California | Lyndsay Kahler | Orange | 22 | Vocal, "Where Is It Written?" from Yentl | | | |
| Colorado | Michelle Stanley | Littleton | 20 | Dramatic Monologue from Quilters | | Non-finalist Talent Award | Miss Colorado USA 1998 |
| Connecticut | Stacy Perrone | Wolcott | 22 | Vocal, "This Time Around" | | | |
| Delaware | Aimée Michelle Voshell | Felton | 18 | Ballet en Pointe, "Return to Innocence" | | | |
| Florida | Jamie Lynn Bolding | Lakeland | 22 | Lyrical Ballet, "Can You Read My Mind" | | Non-finalist Talent Award Non-finalist Interview Award Albert Marks Jr. Memorial Fund Interview | |
| Georgia | Shea Olliff | Augusta | 24 | Popular Vocal, "Can You Read My Mind" | | | |
| Hawaii | Melissa Short | Kaaawa | 23 | Operatic Vocal, "Ah! Je Veux Vivre" from Romeo et Juliette | Top 10 | Preliminary Swimsuit Award Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Idaho | Misty Marriah Esplin | Preston | 19 | Classical Clarinet, "Concertino" by Carl Maria von Weber | | | |
| Illinois | Tania Joy Gibson | Lake Barrington | 19 | Vocal, "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard | | | |
| Indiana | Shani Lynn Nielsen | New Albany | 24 | Vocal, "In His Eyes" from Jekyll & Hyde | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award Bernie Wayne Performing Arts Scholarship | |
| Iowa | Natasha Ann Courter | Davenport | 23 | Tap Dance, "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | | | |
| Kansas | Tara Dawn Holland | Overland Park | 23 | Operatic Vocal, "Où Va la Jeune Hindoue" from Lakmé | Miss America 1997 | Quality of Life 1st runner-up Preliminary Swimsuit Award | |
| Kentucky | Veronica Marie Duka | Campbellsville | 19 | Vocal, "Somewhere" from West Side Story | Top 10 | | |
| Louisiana | Erika Rachael Schwarz | Folsom | 24 | Original Piano Composition, "New Orleans Rhapsody" | 1st runner-up | Quality of Life 2nd runner-up | Entertainment lawyer Judge for Miss America 2006 pageant Was "Pageant Coach" on the Miss America 2007 "Pageant School" TV movie |
| Maine | Sarah Nadeau | Portland | 20 | Classical Vocal, "Addio" from La bohème | | | |
| Maryland | Susan Alexander | Silver Spring | 24 | Popular Vocal, "Sing Me" | | | |
| Massachusetts | Lori Flick | Boston | 24 | Interpretive Gymnastics Dance, Prologue from Beauty and the Beast | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Michigan | Jennifer Lynn Drayton | Saginaw | 22 | Classical Piano, with original accompaniment, "Sonata Appassionata" | | | |
| Minnesota | Sherry Johnson | Owatonna | 22 | Vocal, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" | | | |
| Mississippi | Kari Litton | Pontotoc | 23 | Vocal, "Cry" | Top 10 | | |
| Missouri | Kimberly Anne Massaro | St. Louis | 24 | Tap Dance, "Favorite Son" from The Will Rogers Follies | 4th runner-up | | |
| Montana | Aubrey Jo Hiller | Missoula | 22 | Vocal, "All the Things You Are" | | | Miss Montana Teen USA 1992 |
| Nebraska | Rachel White | Columbus | 20 | Vocal, "Via Dolorosa" | | | |
| Nevada | Annette Albertson | Reno | 24 | Vocal, "Luck Be a Lady" | | | |
| New Hampshire | Michelle Tolson | Manchester | 22 | Jazz Dance, "Hit Me with a Hot Note" from Sophisticated Ladies | | | |
| New Jersey | Melanie Joyce Bell | Vernon | 20 | Jazz Dance, "They Can't Take That Away From Me" | | | |
| New Mexico | Trisha Williams | Hobbs | 19 | Contemporary Gospel Vocal, "He's Always There" | | | |
| New York | Tammy Harris | Williamstown | 24 | Dance, "O Fortuna" | | | |
| North Carolina | Jennifer Michelle Roberts | Greensboro | 21 | Tap Dance, "Devil with a Blue Dress On" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| North Dakota | Stephanie Lee Hamilton | Williston | 18 | Lyrical Dance, "On My Knees" | | | |
| Ohio | Robyn Hancock | Grand Rapids | 21 | Classical Ballet, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Oklahoma | Amy Linn Duncan | Oklahoma City | 23 | Dramatic Vocal, "A Piece of Sky" from Yentl | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Oregon | Patricia Regan Leines | Medford | 24 | Operatic Aria, "Chacun le Sait" from La fille du régiment | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Pennsylvania | GiGi Gordon | Butler | 23 | Lyrical Dance, "When a Man Loves a Woman" | | | |
| Rhode Island | Elana Eve Chomiszak | Providence | 21 | Modern Dance, "Nice Work If You Can Get It" | | | |
| South Carolina | Angela Michelle Hughes | Anderson | 21 | Tap Dance, "Sing, Sing, Sing" | | | |
| South Dakota | Stephanie Camp | Rapid City | 20 | Vocal, "I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls | | | |
| Tennessee | Jeni Stephens | Memphis | 23 | Popular Vocal, "Operator" | | | |
| Texas | Michelle Martinez | Dallas | 23 | Classical Piano, "Chopin's Ballade in G Minor" | Top 10 | | |
| Utah | Nanette Pearson | Pleasant Grove | 23 | Classical Ballet, La Boutique fantasque | | | |
| Vermont | Nicole Juvan | Essex Junction | 22 | Vocal, "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | | | |
| Virginia | Michelle Kang | Fredericksburg | 22 | Classical Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Washington | Janet Reasons | Port Orchard | 22 | Semi-Classical Vocal, "Half a Moment" from Jeeves | | | |
| West Virginia | Kari Anne Safford | Point Pleasant | 23 | Vocal, "God Help the Outcasts" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Wisconsin | Jennifer Streblow | Oshkosh | 18 | Vocal, "Someone Like You" from Jekyll & Hyde | | | |
| Wyoming | Rebecca Darrington | Gillette | 19 | Comedy Vocal, "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man" from Wonderful Town | | Waterford Crystal Scholarship | |