On Tuesday, the K-State Student Union Ballroom was filled to capacity for the first ever Miss K-State competition, where Kaitlyn Dewell from Gamma Phi Beta won the crown. Delta Upsilon Fraternity and the Union Program Council hosted the event in which 17 contestants participated, with friends, family and supporters showing up in droves. The competition raised almost $3,400 for the nonprofit organization Global Service Initiative.
During the first round, contestants showed off their Wildcat Pride while representing their organization. Each contestant walked the catwalk to a song of her choice.
The second round was the talent round. Contestants sang, danced and wooed the crowd to work their way to becoming Miss K-State. Hillary Shafer, representing Alpha Xi Delta, re-enacted the “water cup” scene from Miss Congeniality. Leah Rutledge, from Alpha of Clovia, swing danced with a partner. The next contestant, Ginger Wilson, representing Alpha Delta Pi, showed off her talent of dressing and crying like a baby, and another contestant, Heidi Hurtig, representing Leadership Ambassadors, sang “Part of This World” from “The Little Mermaid”.
After the second round there was a performance given by Cadence. Following Cadence’s act, eight contestants were eliminated, cutting the field to nine. Kristen Eck, Yessika Prato, Katy Weidner, Lauren Dunkak, Sarah Beth Kirchgessner, Jesse Milholm, Alexia Sampson, Heidi Hurtig, and Dewell advanced to the next two rounds.
The third round was the personality round. Contestants were told to be as creative as possible when representing themselves. Prato, a contestant representing the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, came out dressed in her Harry Potter gear to show off her favorite book series, while Milholm, representing Pi Beta Phi, walked out with her friend dressed as a cow to represent her agricultural background.
“My favorite round was the personality round, because the audience got to see more of who we were and learn more about us,” Sampson, a senior in animal science, said.
After the third round, the emcees, K-State student ambassadors Tyler Johnson and Jordan Priddle, announced that an audience member who found a rubber duck under their chair would win two free tickets to Country Stampede.
The fourth round was the question round. Boone Ott, senior in agribusiness, liked Ecks’ answer to to the question asking her where she would go on a date with Willie the Wildcat. She responded that she would go to watch the sunset at Old Stadium because of all her great memories in the marching band that occurred there.
After the fourth round, while the tension was building, Johnson and Devin Rudicel, freshman in pre-journalism, sang “Little Talk” by Of Monsters and Men.
Following their performance, all of the contestants came back on stage in their formal wear, donning sashes that represented their organization. Kirchgessner said her favorite part, “was getting a free sash, because [she’s] never worn a sash before.”
Finally, the moment the crowd had awaited, came the crowning and announcement of Miss K-State 2013. The emcees took the stage in a panic, asking the crowd “where’s the tiara?” Just at that moment, Willie the Wildcat entered from the back of the room with the tiara in hand. The crowd went ecstatic. After handing the emcees the crown, the announcement of awards began.
Taking the crowd favorite award was Kirchgessner, and the team spirt award was won by Wilson. Third runner-up was Prato, second runner-up was Dunkak and first runner-up went to Eck.
