Miss America 1980, the 53rd Miss America pageant, was televised from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 8, 1979, by the NBC Television Network.

Cheryl Prewitt was the third woman from Mississippi to win the title. During the competition, she was the only contestant to demonstrate two talents, singing while playing the piano.

Prewitt was crowned by Kylene Barker of Virginia, Miss America 1979.

Results Placements Placement Contestant Miss America 1980 – Cheryl Prewitt 1st Runner-Up – Tana Kay Carli 2nd Runner-Up – Michelle Elaine Whitson 3rd Runner-Up – Susan Wilson 4th Runner-Up – Marti Sue Phillips Top 10 – Pam Wenzel – Lori Jean Froeling – Kelli Diane Krull – Carolyn Louise Black – Deborah Davis

Awards

Preliminary awards Awards Contestant Lifestyle and Fitness Maryland - Shelly Meg Peiken Mississippi - Cheryl Prewitt North Carolina - Monta Anne Maki Talent Arizona - Pam Wenzel New York - Kelli Diane Krull Ohio - Tana Kay Carli

Non-finalist awards Awards Contestant Talent Alabama - Kathy Jo Pickett Georgia - Sandra Eakes Louisiana - Myrrah Monroe McCully Michigan - Bethany Jane Wright North Dakota - Daureen Podenski Oklahoma - Jill Elmore South Dakota - Julie Kay Kleinsasser Tennessee - Elise Neal

Contestants

+StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementSpecial AwardsNotes AlabamaKathy PickettMulga26Classical Vocal, "Sempre Libera" from La TraviataNon-finalist Talent Award AlaskaLila ObergPalmer19Vocal, "For Once in My Life" ArizonaPam WenzelPhoenix22Acrobatic Gymnastic Dance, Theme from The Children of SanchezTop 10Preliminary Talent Award ArkansasJanet HolmanNorth Little Rock22Vocal, "Somewhere" CaliforniaDeanna Rae FogartyAzusa22Vocal, "Cabaret" ColoradoSheliah WilkinsDenver23Classical Vocal, "Quando me'n vo'" ConnecticutLaura KaufmannEnfield18Interpretive Modern Jazz Dance DelawareAnn Lorraine HarringtonMilford22Magic Act FloridaMarti Sue PhillipsTampa22Jazz Clarinet Medley, Rhapsody in Blue & "Begin the Beguine"4th runner-up GeorgiaSandra EakesWarner Robins22Popular Vocal, "The Trolley Song" & "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody"Non-finalist Talent AwardSister of Miss Georgia 1982, Bobbie Eakes HawaiiSheron Lehuanani BissenKahului20Vocal, "Over the Rainbow" IdahoGladys SteeleBoise22Violin, "Polish Dance" IllinoisElizabeth RussellPekin20Classical Vocal, "O Luce di Quest'Anima" from Linda di Chamounix IndianaRickee FarrellValparaiso18Acrobatic Dance, "Sweet Charity" IowaLori FroelingKeokuk20Flute, "Carnival of Venice"Top 10 KansasMichelle Elaine WhitsonMission21Harp, "Never on Sunday"2nd runner-upPreviously National Sweetheart 1978 KentuckyKathryn ParkerWilmore21Flute, "The Swiss Shepherd's Song" LouisianaMyrrah McCullyMonroe24Piano, "Piano Concerto in D-flat major" by Aram KhachaturianNon-finalist Talent Award MaineJill O'BrienBangor22Ballet, "Irish Suite" MarylandShelly Meg PeikenGreenbelt22Self-Composed Vocal, "Carry Me Home"Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award MassachusettsLisa MattaBrockton20Jazz Dance, "Slow Dancing" MichiganBethany Jane WrightSaginaw19Vocal, "The Music and the Mirror" from A Chorus LineNon-finalist Talent Award MinnesotaDebra Ann NerbyRochester24Vocal, "Who Can I Turn To?" MississippiCheryl PrewittAckerman22Vocal/Piano, "Don't Cry Out Loud"WinnerPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award MissouriSusan WilsonColumbia21Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu3rd runner-up MontanaLori ConlonBillings20Piano, "Toccata" NebraskaKathryn Ann SaathoffFremont21Vocal, "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" NevadaJeanne CangemiNorth Lake Tahoe22Classical & Jazz Saxophone, "Harlem Nocturne" & "Csárdás" New HampshireMonica SkiathitisManchester20Tap Dance, "Sweet Georgia Brown"Previously New Hampshire's Junior Miss 1976 New JerseyMary McGinnisSomers Point22Clarinet, "Hora" New MexicoSusan SpartzAlamogordo18Vocal, "My Man" New YorkKelli KrullBuffalo21Baton Twirling Exhibition, "If My Friends Could See Me Now"Top 10Preliminary Talent Award North CarolinaMonta MakiHickory23Vocal, "You Light Up My Life"Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award North DakotaDaureen PodenskiEdgeley22Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" from ToscaNon-finalist Talent Award OhioTana CarliLakewood23Accordion Medley, "Tea for Two" & "Dizzy Fingers"1st runner-upPreliminary Talent Award OklahomaJill ElmoreTulsa23Classical Vocal, "Art is Calling for Me" from The Enchantress by Victor HerbertNon-finalist Talent Award OregonTami SandersRoseburg21Gymnastic Dance, "A Fifth of Beethoven" PennsylvaniaCarolyn Louise BlackElizabethtown22Vocal, "All the Things You Are"Top 10 Rhode IslandElaine RushlowWesterly20Piano, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" South CarolinaJane JenkinsJohns Island23Vocal Medley, "The Party's Over" & "Send in the Clowns"Author of Bare Feet to High Heels, What Ta Tas Teach Us, and "Bury Me with My Pearls" South DakotaJulie KleinsasserFreeman19Popular Vocal, "Cry"Non-finalist Talent Award TennesseeElise NealParis21Piano, "Prelude in C minor" by RachmaninoffNon-finalist Talent Award TexasLex Ann HaugheyHurst20Flute, "Flight of the Bumblebee" & "Flight '76" by Walter Murphy UtahKaren L. BrimleyLayton19Semi-classical Vocal, "Love is Where You Find It" VermontShari BachMiddlebury22Classical Piano, Holberg Suite VirginiaDarlene McIntoshChesapeake22Classical Piano, "Prelude in C-sharp minor" WashingtonJanelle MartzNormandy Park22Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto in A Minor" by Edvard Grieg West VirginiaDeborah DavisHuntington22Vocal Medley, "He Touched Me" from Drat! The Cat! & "Maybe This Time" from CabaretTop 10Previously Miss West Virginia USA 1978

Later Mrs. America 1984

1st runner-up at Mrs. World 1984 WisconsinKristine KonradOshkosh19Vocal, "Starting Here, Starting Now" WyomingKarla SingerCheyenne19Vocal, "Mister Melody"

References

External links Miss America official website