Mississippi

Miss Mississippi and Miss Mississippi's Teen are heading to Orlando for Miss America

Published

1 year ago

December 27, 2024

Miss Mississippi and Miss Mississippi's Teen are heading to Orlando for Miss America

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Miss Mississippi Becky Williams and Miss Mississippi’s Teen Brooke Bumgarner will head to Orlando, Florida Friday for the Miss America competition.

The national competition begins December 31st and Bumgarner hopes to make history by becoming the first national winner for this state in the teen competition. Williams hopes she will be the candidate to win Miss America since the last state winner in 1986 when Susan Aikin won the Miss America Crown.

Williams hopes to become the fifth young woman from Mississippi to win the national crown.(WLBT)

On New Year’s Eve, the Miss America contestants, including Miss Mississippi Becky Williams will arrive in Orlando. Miss America 2025 will be crowned January 5th. There have been four winners from this state including, Mary Ann Mobley, Lynda Lee Meade, Cheryl Prewitt, and Miss America 1986 Susan Aiken.

Williams said, “The Miss Mississippi Corporation has changed my life. My experience in competing just these three years has been life-changing. I’m not the same person I was when I started and to even have the opportunity to compete at Miss Mississippi is one thing. To win is another and on top of that, I get to represent my entire state. I get to represent the volunteers of Miss Mississippi. I get to represent the state of Mississippi.”

Williams has been preparing for the national competition since she was crowned in June. She has also kept busy promoting her Community Service Initiative Make a Move.

“Preparing for Miss America has been a little different than getting ready for Miss Mississippi because now I am Miss Mississippi and it’s a full-time job. I’m on the road, I’m all across the state throughout my entire year, so these past six months I’ve been every which way but still fitting in time in dance studios across the state. I’m so thankful to my dance families in Meridian, in Hattiesburg, and in Jackson for giving me the space to practice, so that’s been really helpful but you know when it comes to interview prep, when it comes to doing the job of Miss America, I’m getting ready every single day because that’s what I do right now as Miss Mississippi”, said Williams.

The first night of the preliminary competition for Miss America’s Teen is New Year’s Eve. Brooke Bumgarner of Madison has been preparing and is hoping to make history as the first winner for Mississippi.

Bumgarner could become the first candidate from Mississippi to win the national title.(WLBT)

Bumgarner said, “She will win a $50,000 dollar scholarship which is an incredible blessing and she also wins a year-long of experiences that not everybody gets to take on and that’s such a rare opportunity and it’s been such an honor to watch the new leadership at Miss America really take our program to the next level and allow Miss America’s Teen to go through so many incredible life-changing experiences.”

Preliminary competition for Miss America begins New Year’s Night. The teen winner will be crowned January 4th.

“Only 51 girls a year are going to be able to go to the national pageant and that’s, it’s incredible to think that I am one of those 51 and I have the opportunity to make friends with people from all across the nation”, said Bumgarner.

The New Miss America will be crowned Sunday, January 5th.

Williams said, “You know it’s so humbling to be able to say that I’m the face of Mississippi when it comes to this competition so I get the chance to show everyone what we have to offer.”

The new Miss America will be awarded 60 thousand dollars in scholarships. This will be the 103rd Anniversary for Miss America which is the world’s largest scholarship program for women.

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Related Topics:america becky brooke Bumgarner candidates competition Featured Mississippi national title williams

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Mississippi

Who finished No. 1 in Mississippi high school basketball Super 25 girls rankings?

Published

11 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Who finished No. 1 in Mississippi high school basketball Super 25 girls rankings?

The Mississippi girls high school basketball 2025-26 season has ended.

The MHSAA championships concluded March 7 at Mississippi Coliseum, while the MAIS overall tournament ended two weeks ago. Starkville finished as the No. 1 team in the final Clarion Ledger Mississippi high school girls basketball Super 25 rankings.

Two teams enter the Super 25 final rankings as Louisville joins from MHSAA 4A and East Rankin Academy in MAIS 4A.

Mississippi high school girls basketball Super 25 rankings

1. Starkville (31-3)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 1. Final game: Starkville 39, Harrison Central 22 in MHSAA 7A championship.

2. Laurel (31-2)

MHSAA Class 5A. Previous ranking: 3. Final game: Laurel 52, Holmes County Central 26 in MHSAA 5A championship.

3. Biloxi (30-2)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 2. Final game: Starkville 41, Biloxi 34 in MHSAA 7A semifinals.

4. Tishomingo County (28-2)

MHSAA Class 4A. Previous ranking: 4. Final game: Tishomingo County 64, Louisville 49 in MHSAA 4A championship.

5. Olive Branch (23-7)

MHSAA Class 6A. Previous ranking: 8. Final game: Olive Branch 58, Neshoba Central 57 in MHSAA 6A championship.

6. Harrison Central (26-7)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 7. Final game: Starkville 39, Harrison Central 22 in MHSAA 7A championship.

7. Neshoba Central (26-7)

MHSAA Class 6A. Previous ranking: 5. Final game: Olive Branch 58, Neshoba Central 57 in MHSAA 6A championship.

8. Madison Central (25-7)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 6. Final game: Harrison Central 56, Madison Central 40 in MHSAA 7A semifinals.

9. Booneville (24-4)

MHSAA Class 3A. Previous ranking: 9. Final game: Booneville 54, Belmont 31 in MHSAA 3A championship.

10. Canton (26-5)

MHSAA Class 6A. Previous ranking: 10. Final game: Olive Branch 47, Canton 41 in MHSAA 6A quarterfinals.

11. Ingomar (33-2)

MHSAA Class 1A. Previous ranking: 12. Final game: Ingomar 65, Okolona 48 in MHSAA 1A championship.

12. Northwest Rankin (24-8)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 13. Final game: Harrison Central 45, Northwest Rankin 42 in MHSAA 7A quarterfinals.

13. Madison-Ridgeland Academy (36-5)

MAIS Class 4A. Previous ranking: 14. Final game: MRA 37, Simpson Academy 25 in MAIS Overall championship.

14. Pontotoc (23-9)

MHSAA Class 5A. Previous ranking: 16. Final game: Laurel 63, Pontotoc 38 in MHSAA 5A semifinals.

15. Brandon (23-8)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 17. Final game: Biloxi 55, Brandon 39 in MHSAA 7A quarterfinals.

16. Louisville (22-8)

MHSAA Class 6A. Previous ranking: Not ranked. Final game: Tishomingo County 64, Louisville 49 in MHSAA 4A championship.

17. Morton (27-3)

MHSAA Class 4A. Previous ranking: 11. Final game: Tishomingo County 65, Morton 40 in MHSAA 4A semifinals.

18. Choctaw Central (24-6)

MHSAA Class 4A. Previous ranking: 15. Final game: Morton 48, Choctaw Central 36 in MHSAA 4A quarterfinals.

19. Holmes County Central (22-12)

MHSAA Class 5A. Previous ranking: 23. Final game: Laurel 52, Holmes County Central 26 in MHSAA 5A championship.

20. Brookhaven (25-6)

MHSAA Class 5A. Previous ranking: 18. Final game: Holmes County Central 61, Brookhaven 55 in MHSAA 5A semifinals.

21. Belmont (24-7)

MHSAA Class 3A. Previous ranking: 19. Final game: Booneville 54, Belmont 31 in MHSAA 3A championship.

22. Simpson Academy (31-6)

MAIS Class 4A. Previous ranking: 21. Final game: MRA 37, Simpson Academy 25 in MAIS Overall championship.

23. West Harrison (24-5)

MHSAA Class 7A. Previous ranking: 22. Final game: Brandon 54, West Harrison 45 in MHSAA 7A first round.

24. East Union (30-2)

MHSAA Class 2A. Previous ranking: 24. Final game: East Union 57, New Site 38 in MHSAA 2A championship.

25. East Rankin Academy (31-7)

MAIS Class 4A. Previous ranking: Not ranked. Final game: MRA 57, East Rankin Academy 43 in MAIS Overall semifinals.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

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Mississippi

NCAA appeals to Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking to bar Trinidad Chambliss from playing in 2026

Published

23 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

NCAA appeals to Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking to bar Trinidad Chambliss from playing in 2026

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The NCAA has filed an appeal in the eligibility case of Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

In the appeal, filed Thursday with the Mississippi Supreme Court, the NCAA argues that Chambliss has “exhausted his eligibility” to play Division I football because he has already played four seasons in a five-year period, the maximum allowed under NCAA rules.

A Mississippi judge last month granted Chambliss a preliminary injunction against college athletics’ governing body, giving him an extra year of eligibility that would allow him to play in 2026. The NCAA had previously denied Chambliss’ request for a waiver.

Chambliss began his college career at Ferris State in 2021, redshirted his first season and did not play in 2022 because of medical issues. He played two more seasons at the Division II school in Michigan, leading the Bulldogs to a national championship before transferring to Ole Miss before the start of last season.

The 23-year-old Chambliss led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

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Mississippi

Vicksburg soccer star Amari Johnson signs with East Mississippi CC

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Vicksburg soccer star Amari Johnson signs with East Mississippi CC

“I’m proud of myself for the work I’ve put in. A lot of people say they want to do stuff but they don’t work on it, so I’m proud that I stuck to stuff like practicing at home. Even when I didn’t want to go to practice I went,” Johnson said. “This year since I was a captain I had to show my leadership skills and step up, especially with our shortage of players. Not every year is the best but you’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got and I’m proud that I’ve been able to adapt to the changes.”

Johnson joined a growing pipeline of Warren County players who are headed to East Mississippi. She’s the fourth player from the county to sign there in the past two years. Johnson said another Vicksburg native is to credit for that.

Ryan Theriot, a former St. Aloysius star, is an assistant coach at East Mississippi. He’s mined his hometown for talent, including recruiting Johnson.

“The assistant coach, Ryan (Theriot), is from Vicksburg so he saw me. He emailed me asking if I was interested in playing soccer, so I said yes, if I get the opportunity I would be happy to,” Johnson said. “It’s very surreal, because honestly I did not think I would be playing soccer at this level. It’s hard to get looked at for soccer, especially in Vicksburg. Sometimes Vicksburg gets overlooked.”

During her high school career Johnson has played nearly every position on the field at one time or another, including keeper. She wasn’t sure where she’d play at East Mississippi, and doesn’t really care as long as she’s in the lineup.

“One time I had to play striker, and the next midfield. One time I had to go to defense. It was stressful. But then I’m kind of happy because when I get to college we’ll have other people to play all these positions. It was good for me to be versatile,” Johnson said. “If I have to change positions to play I definitely will, because I do want to start by the end of my freshman year.”

More than anything, she just wants to play and continue to leave her mark.

“I’m really excited to play at this next level so I can tell my kids I played soccer in college,” Johnson said. “I just want to thank my teammates from soccer, softball and volleyball, my coaches, and my mom and grandmom. I love all of y’all very much.”

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