Tamia Hardy was crowned Miss West Virginia 2017 on Friday after three days of competition at the Metropolitan Theatre in Morgantown. Hardy will represent her state this September at the Miss America 2018 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She qualified for the state pageant by winning the Miss Berkeley County 2017 crown. Her talent at the national pageant will be in contemporary dance. Her pageant platform is, “Bystander Intervention.” If she wins, she will become the first West Virginia contestant to be crowned Miss America.

Runners-up

Also finishing well at the pageant were Abigail Harrison, first runner-up; Madeline Collins, second runner-up; Katie Rose, third runner-up; and Hilary Kinney, fourth runner-up.

Harrison takes over the state title if Hardy wins at the nationals, or does not finish her one-year reign for another reason.

Miss America pageant schedule

Three days of Miss America preliminary competition begin on Sept. 6. Contestants will take a break from competition on Sept. 9 to participate in the annual Show Me Your Shoes Parade. The final competition is Sept. 10. The final night of pageantry and the crowning will be televised live on the ABC television network.

Teen pageant

Sabrina Harrison was crowned Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen 2017. The teen pageant is the younger-sister competition within the Miss America

Organization. Contestants are ages 12-17 years old and compete in many of the same categories as older contestants for scholarships and prizes.

Sabrina moves on to the national teen pageant, scheduled for later this summer in Orlando, Florida. She will dance at the pageant and explain her platform, “Is My Goal SMART.” At the time of her crowning, she was Miss Berkeley County’s Outstanding Teen 2017. If she wins the national pageant, she will become the first contestant from West Virginia to wear the crown since the state began participating in 2005.

Teens in Orlando

Contestants will compete for the national teen crown July 25-27. The girls will take a break on July 28 before a new teen is crowned after a final night of pageantry on July 29. The reigning Miss America’s Outstanding Teen is Nicole Jia of Oklahoma. Her pageant talent last year was piano. Her pageant platform was, "Be Selfless." Over the past year, she has served as National Teen Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Winning the pageant earned her a $30,000 scholarship.