SALT LAKE CITY ��� Taking over a crown that originated with Doretta Carstensen in 1926, Danica Olsen, Miss Utah Valley University, became the 75th Miss Utah titleholder as she was named Miss Utah 2011 Saturday night at Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.
The field of 50 contestants from across the state was quickly narrowed to 10 at the beginning of the final night of competition.
Semifinalists Samantha Cummings, Miss Washington County; Rebecca Johnson, Miss Spanish Fork; Starlee Holman, Miss Castle Valley; Rebecca Belo, Miss Legacy; and Arielle Simpson, Miss Farmington, each received $600 scholarships.
The fourth runner-up, Miss Rocky Mountain Hannah Christenson, also received a $600 scholarship, while the third runner-up, Miss Draper Shelby Dixon, received an $800 scholarship. Second runner-up Miss Davis County Ciera Pekarcik was awarded a $1,500 scholarship.
Miss Pioneer Valley McKenna Wheeler, the first runner-up, was awarded a $3,000 scholarship and will go on to compete in the National Sweetheart Pageant.
As the new Miss Utah titleholder and winner of a $10,000 scholarship, Olsen will spend a year working as a spokeswoman for the Childrens Miracle Network, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City.
The Childrens Miracle Network became the national platform for the Miss America Organization in 2007, and since then pageant contestants have raised nearly $5 million for CMN hospitals. Utahs contestants contributed more than $16,900 to the Childrens Miracle Network this year.
The new Miss Utah will also become the spokeswoman for the Utah Child Protection Registry, which works hand-in-hand with the Attorney Generals Office. The program allows families to sign up to protect their email addresses, mobile phone numbers and instant messenger IDs from adult-oriented messages.
Additionally, Olsen will focus on promoting her personal platform, Prescription Drug Addiction Awareness.