| Miss America 1986 | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 14, 1985 |
| Presenters | Gary Collins |
| Venue | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Broadcaster | NBC |
| Winner | Susan Akin  Mississippi |
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. [1]
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss America 1986 | |
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up | |
| 3rd runner-up |
|
| 4th runner-up | |
| Top 10 |
Top 10
|
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Lifestyle and Fitness |
|
| Talent |
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Talent |
| 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
|
 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
| ||
 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
3rd runner-up at Miss USA 1988 | |
 Georgia | Samantha Mohr | Columbus | 23 | Popular Vocal, "Wind Beneath My Wings" [2] | |||
 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
| |
 Minnesota | Elizabeth Hunter | Austin | 21 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Love Is Where You Find It" | |||
 Mississippi | Susan Akin | Meridian | 21 | Vocal, "You're My World" [2] | 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
| |
 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" |
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