Miss USA Crowns Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez to Represent in Miss Universe 2014
Crowned as the 63rd Miss USA, Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez is the newest American beauty besting 50 other contestants from all the states and the District of Columbia for the prestigious title.
Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady of South Glastonbury, Conn., crowned the new queen at the Baton Rouge River Center in Louisiana on June 8. Miss North Dakota Audra Mari got the first runner-up, followed by Miss Georgia Tiana Griggs for second runner-up and Miss Brittany Guidry for third runner-up.
Miss Florida Brittany Oldenhoff and Miss Iowa Carlyn Bradarich were hailed fourth and fifth runners-up, respectively. Miss California, Miss Maryland, Miss South Carolina and Miss Wisconsin were the other four contestants included in the pageant's Top 10.
Sanchez, a fourth-degree black belter in the Korean martial arts of taekwondo. The new Miss USA is from Las Vegas who got her second chance to win the crown when she won the most votes in Twitter. In the pageant's first-ever "Save the Queen" option, the 24-year-old beauty titlist was the first queen to be saved and proved everybody right when she claimed the throne.
Wearing a vivacious red floor-length fishtail gown, Sanchez wowed the audience and the judges when she talked about the importance of women being able to defend themselves. Judge Rumer Willis, the 25-year-old daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said "19 percent of U.S. undergraduate women are victims of sexual assault and asked Sanchez why she thinks this is being swept under the rug and what should be done about it."
Sanchez said bringing awareness to the issue was important, as well as women taking it upon themselves to learn how to defend themselves," according to a report posted on Miami Herald.
Miss USA 2014 Sanchez will be representing the country in the upcoming Miss Universe 2014 later this year, as she follows the footsteps of Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady and Miss Universe 2013 Olivia Culpo.
Hosted by E! Online Giuliana Rancic and Thomas Roberts, the Miss USA 2014 pageant was an annual event from Donald Trump's Miss Universe's organization.