Miss Iowa USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss Iowa.

The Miss Iowa USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Iowa in the Miss USA pageant. It was directed by Future Productions based in Savage, Minnesota since 2008 to 2024.^[1]

Miss Iowa USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Savage
Location	Minnesota
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Key people	Kelly McCoy
Website	Official website

While Iowa has not been greatly successful in the past four decades, they were one of the most consistent states in the first decade of the pageant's existence. The second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe Crown was Carol Morris of Iowa in 1956. The most recent placement was McKenzie Ariana Kerry in 2024, placing Top 20.

Jamie Solinger, Miss Teen USA 1992 and Miss Iowa USA 1998, crowned her sister Jaclyn Solinger as Miss Iowa USA 1999.

The current titleholder is Hayley Buettell of Mediapolis and was crowned on August 10, 2025 at The Franklin Center in Des Moines. She will represent Iowa for the title of Miss USA 2025.

Gallery of titleholders

• 
  Carol Morris, Miss Iowa USA 1956, Miss USA 1956 and Miss Universe 1956
• 
  Jamie Solinger, Miss Iowa USA 1998
• 
  Sarah Corpstein, Miss Iowa USA 2006
• 
  Dani Reeves, Miss Iowa USA 2007
• 
  Katherine Connors, Miss Iowa USA 2010

Results summary

Placements

• Miss USA: Carol Morris (1956)
• 5th Runner-up: Carlyn Bradarich (2014)
• Top 10/12: Jan Hoyer (1993), Jensie Grigsby (2000)
• Top 14/15/19/20: Marilyn Shonka (1953), Ione Lucken (1954), Judy Hall (1957), Kay Nielson (1959), Trudy Shulkin (1960), Baylee Drezek (2019), McKenzie Ariana Kerry (2024)

Iowa holds a record of 11 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

• Miss Congeniality: Dana Ruth Mintzer (1983), Rebecca Hodge (2012)

Winners

Color key

•   Declared as Winner
•   Ended as runner-up
•   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age1	Local title	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2025	Hayley Buettell	Mediapolis	27	Miss Johnson County	TBA
2024	McKenzie Ariana Kerry	Des Moines	26	Miss Des Moines	Top 20	People's Choice
2023	Grace Keller	Coralville	24	Miss Johnson County			Previously Miss Iowa 2021
2022	Randi Estabrook	Mitchellville	24	Miss Central Iowa
2021	Katie Wadman	Iowa City	21
2020	Morgan Kofoid	Leon	22				Previously Miss Iowa Teen USA 2013 Longest reigning Miss Iowa USA at 1 year, 7 months and 2 days
2019	Baylee Drezek	Davenport	21		Top 15
2018	Jenny Valliere	Cedar Rapids	27				Joining Miss Iowa USA on her 8th consecutive year, before winning the title in 2018
2017	Kelsey Weier	Des Moines	25				Later contestant on season 24 of The Bachelor and season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise.
2016	Alissa Morrison	Davenport	24
2015	Taylor Even	Jesup	21
2014	Carlyn Bradarich	Iowa City	23		5th runner-up		Sister of Ashley Bradarich, Miss Illinois USA 2010 Advanced to the top 6 as a fan vote winner Later Miss Illinois World 2015 Top 12 at Miss World America 2015
2013	Richelle Orr[citation needed]	Hampton	20				Previously Miss Iowa Teen USA 2011
2012	Rebecca Hodge	Iowa City	22			Miss Congeniality
2011	Rebecca Goldsmith	Chariton	26
2010	Katherine Connors	Bettendorf	20				Threw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game following a joke by Nationals pitcher Miguel Batista at Miss Iowa's expense. Batista sent flowers, but declined Connors' challenge to "walk the runway in a swimsuit."
2009	Chelsea Gauger	Ames	19
2008	Abbey Curran	Davenport	20				First person born with a disability (cerebral palsy) to compete in Miss USA[2]
2007	Dani Reeves	Hamburg	21
2006	Sarah Corpstein	Anamosa	23
2005	Joy Robinson	Altoona	25
2004	Brooke Hansen	Fort Dodge	22
2003	Linsey Grams	Urbandale	20
2002	Lauren Wilson	Bettendorf	22
2001	Clarissa Kroese	Pella	22
2000	Jensie Grigsby	West Des Moines	26		Top 10, Finishing in 10th Place
1999	Jaclyn Solinger	Altoona
1998	Jamie Solinger	Altoona					Previously Miss Iowa Teen USA 1992 Miss Teen USA 1992 Later Mrs. Iowa America 2004 3rd runner-up to Mrs. America 2004 under her married name, Jamie Patterson.[3]
1997	Shawn Marie Brogan	New Hampton
1996	Jill Simon	Burlington
1995	Angela Hearne	Mount Vernon
1994	Callie Pandit	Des Moines
1993	Jan Hoyer	Fort Madison			Top 12 Semi-finalist, Finishing in 8th Place		Previously Miss Iowa Teen USA 1987 Sister of Miss Iowa USA 1982 Jeanne Hoyer
1992	Pam Patrick	Ottumwa
1991	Heather Bowers	Toddville
1990	Elizabeth Muelhaupt	West Des Moines, Iowa
1989	Marcy Requist	Red Oak
1988	Julie Kemmerling	Hinsdale, IL
1987	Katy Magee	Jefferson
1986	Holly Wilkins	Clear Lake
1985	Karen North	Ames
	Devin Steinberg	Manson					Original winner, dethroned after she married during her reign.
1984	Michele Boisvert	Decorah
1983	Dana Ruth Mintzer	Des Moines				Miss Congeniality
1982	Jeanne Hoyer	Fort Madison					Sister of Miss Iowa USA 1993 Jan Hoyer
1981	Jennifer Lynn Wimpey	Iowa City
1980	Lori Kromminga	Keystone
1979	Teri Rees	Sioux City
1978	Michelle Daley	West Des Moines
1977	Cindy Woodard	Urbandale
1976	Sheri Davenport	Storm Lake
1975	Kathleen Duggan	Council Bluffs
1974	Susan Thompson	Cedar Rapids
1973	Dyanne Roberts	Oskaloosa
1972	Jennifer Owen	Maxwell
1971	Cindy Helmers	Sibley
1970	Jacqueline Jochims	Carroll		Miss Starling			Later represented Iowa in Miss World USA 1970, did not place Later Miss U.S. International 1971 3rd runner-up at Miss International 1971
1969	Becky Stoner	Laurens
1968	Markie Anderson	Sioux City
1967	Kathleen Solt	Jefferson
1966	Janis Mieras	Alta
1965	Mari Hardy	Sioux City
1964	Barbara Rogers	Perry
1963	Ramona Meylor	Le Mars
1962	Regina Prusha	Cedar Rapids		Miss Cedar Rapids
1961	Deanne Ostermann	Ocheyedan
1960	Trudy Shulkin	Sioux City		Miss Kmns Sioux City	Semi-finalist
1959	Kay Nielson	Council Bluffs			Semi-finalist		Former Miss Nebraska 1957
1958	Sandra Olsen	Sioux City
1957	Judy Hall	Council Bluffs			Semi-finalist
1956	Carol Morris	Ottumwa	19		Miss USA 1956		Previously Miss Iowa 1954 Miss Universe 1956
1955	Jerri Cole	Holstein
1954	Ione Lucken	Le Mars			Semi-finalist
1953	Marilyn Shonka	Sioux City			Semi-finalist

¹ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant