MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Miss Sioux Falls stood above 26 other contestants in this weekend’s 79th annual Miss South Dakota pageant.
Kianna Healy, 23, was crowned Saturday night on the campus of South Dakota State University. Her reveal capped off a competition that was the largest ever, and included more than $60,000 in scholarships. Healy outlasted runner-up Amelie Wilcox of Rapid City. Rounding out the top five were Sydney Morgan from Hot Springs, Brookings’ native Katie Milbrandt, and Briley Steffenson from Hartford.
Thea Tanton of Brookings, Lilly Mae Blume of Redfield, Javonte Madsen of Sioux Falls, Rylin Yerdon of Harrisburg, and Natalie Biegler of Timber Lake made up the rest of the ten semifinalists. Mitchell’s Laney Titze added to her hardware collection, even though she did not advance to the final rounds. On Thursday, she had been announced as the winner of the Sylvia Tannehill Kindness Award. Saturday night, Titze was declared the runner-up for the South Dakota Strong Award, which is worth $1,000.
The honor is endowed by Shantel and Mitch Krebs. Shantel was Miss South Dakota in 1997 and eventually rose to be CEO of the Miss America Organization, among many other professional accomplishments. The award highlights those who have overcome adversity and developed “the qualities of inner strength and perseverance” that help to lift up others around them to success.
To win the South Dakota Strong award, contestants were graded on an essay submission that answered at least one of 12 different potential questions about strength and leadership. The five finalists were announced Thursday and then were interviewed by the Krebs on Saturday morning.
All non-semifinalists received $300 for appearing in the pageant, including the other Mitchell contestant, Miss West River Olivia Walz.