Foremaster Named Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen 2010

The Miss America 2011 pageant will be held in the Theater for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas on January 15.

Competing for the prestigious title will be the newly crowned Miss Nevada 2010, Cris Crotz.

Not to add to the anxiety the new Miss Nevada might feel, but the Miss America pageant will also be broadcast live on ABC.

The former Miss Mesquite 2009 won the crown Saturday night at the CasaBlanca showroom from a field of 14 contestants.

Christina Keegan, the departing Miss Nevada 2009, crowned her successor.

Crotz won an $8,000 scholarship award, a $2,500 wardrobe, other gifts and awards worth several thousand dollars.

“You can’t get rid of me yet, Nevada,” said Keegan. “Although I’m going to medical school in Utah, I will be back to Nevada as Doctor Keegan,” she said.

The talented and beautiful Keegan studied molecular biology, is working on a masters degree and is a first year medical student.

“Thanks to the Miss America Organization, I have won over $26,000 in scholarships and at this time, I am tuition free,” she added.

Tears were visible as Keegan left the stage for the final time at the end of the evening.

Angela Foremaster, the 16 year old Miss Clark County Outstanding Teen, won Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen and will go on to compete in the Miss America Outstanding Teen in Orlando, Florida on August 24-28.

Competing against six other talented teens, Foremaster won a $1,000 scholarship, a $2,000 wardrobe, and other awards worth several thousand dollars.

Starting off the evening, Miss Nevada 2008 Julianna Erdesz sang the national anthem demonstrating a magnificent singing voice.

In the pageant opening number, worthy of the best Las Vegas floorshow, pageant producer Del Beatty wowed the audience with a dance number featuring all of the contestants.

Beatty’s talent was obvious as the number brought the audience to their feet and got the pageant off to a impressive start.

Beauty was in evidence everywhere in the showroom with current beauty queens, former beauty queens, little princesses, a former Miss Senior Mesquite contestant and even a few stage celebrities.

“This production was wonderful and the ladies all look beautiful and talented,” said 18 year old Audrey Denison, Miss Nevada USA 2010 from Las Vegas.

Denison was closely watching the talent and possible future competition as she plans to compete in the Miss America Organization pageant in the future.

Adding to the glamour of the evening were the seven Silver State Princesses, ages five to nine, that performed a dance number with Keegan and assisted the contestants during the evening gown portion of the pageant.

The little princesses were charming.

In the Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen competition, Miss Carson City Teen Diana Sweeney was chosen as second runner up, winning a $300 scholarship award and a $250 gift certificate.

First runner up was Bailey Gumm, Miss Douglas County Teen, who won a $500 scholarship and a $250 gift certificate.

The fourth runner up in the Miss Nevada contest was Jessica Warren, Miss University of Nevada-Reno ($650); third runner up was Randi Sundquist, Miss Greater Las Vegas ($1,050); second runner up was Miss Summerlin Leticia Castro ($1,250); and first runner up was Miss Northern Counties Jacqueline Wilkins ($1,750).

In other awards, Wilkins also received the Community Service award and the Children’s Miracle Maker award ($1,500).

Ashton Sunseri, Miss Lake Tahoe, won the academic scholarship award for $1,000.

Several other awards were given to non-finalists.

“The CasaBlanca Resort and this community has been so good to us, we would like to make Mesquite our home,” said Markham Miller, President of the Board of Directors for the Miss Nevada Organization.

“The Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations award over $43 million dollars every year to these wonderful and talented ladies,” Miller added.

Miller also took time to honor several volunteers who help make the pageant a success year after year.

“The judges will have their work cut out for them choosing a winner among these ladies, they all have worked so hard and it shows,” he said.

In spite of the glamour and pageantry, preparing for the pageant had its share of injuries, sprains ,strained backs, bumps and bruises.

First runner up Jacqueline Wilkins could be seen sporting a stylist high heel on one foot and an orthopedic shoe on the other because she broke her foot, but still went on with the show.

Only a slight trace of a limp could be seen as she completed the evening.

Miss Nevada USA Audrey Denison was asked if she picked the winners while sizing up the Nevada competition.

“Yes, I did,” she said. “But they all were very good.”

Now it is on the road to Miss America.