Alabama
Alabama Nursing Student and Cheerleader Crowned Miss America 2025: 'So Grateful'
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(770x269:772x271)/abbie-stockard-miss-america-orlando-010625-3-1b845fcc45354518b6ad5346c88236d3.jpg?ssl=1 "Alabama Nursing Student and Cheerleader Crowned Miss America 2025: 'So Grateful'")
A new Miss America is in town.
On Sunday, Dec. 5, Abbie Stockard, representing Alabama, was crowned Miss America after earning Miss Alabama in 2024.
According to CNN, the 22-year-old nursing student is an undergraduate and cheerleader at Auburn University in Alabama. She won at the annual event in Orlando, Florida, triumphing over 51 other US state representatives.
In a video shared on Miss America’s Instagram page, Stockard appeared flabbergasted as she was crowned the victor. Sporting a sparkly silver and white gown, she looked shocked as runner-up Annette Addo-Yobo, who represented Texas, hugged her.
The competition shared the aftermath of her victory with a series of Instagram Stories posts, one of which shows an overjoyed Stockard saying, “This is insane. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. Holy Moly. I’m so excited, I’m so grateful.”
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In another video, Stockard — who also scoops a $50,000 tuition scholarship as part of her victory — became emotional as she held onto her bouquet of flowers while wearing her crown. Per CNN, the runner-up states included Tennessee, Florida and Ohio.
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Rounds in the competition included choreographed dances and live segments. The pageant also included a fitness section, with contenders sporting red and gold activewear. This was followed by talent, eveningwear and interview segments.
CNN reported that the talent round showcased slam poetry by Miss Texas, a jazz dance routine by Miss Wisconsin and a contemporary dance by Stockard.
Stockard also spoke about the decreasing labor force among 25 to 54-year-olds following the COVID-19 pandemic during the competition. “I believe we need to encourage those (people) to join the workforce, adapt to new skills and learn to grow in our current workforce and industries we have today,” she said.
Stockard will take over from 2024 winner, Madison Marsh, to begin her 12-month reign as a Miss America advocate and will have the opportunity to travel the world in her new position.
Ahead of the final, Stockard reflected on her journey to the competition via Instagram. “Tonight, a new Miss America will be crowned. As I step into this evening, I am filled with excitement, honor, and gratitude,” she said.
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The SEC opponents for Alabama women’s basketball during the 2026-27 campaign has been officially revealed.
The Tide will face some of the top teams in all of women’s college basketball throughout SEC play this upcoming season. Alabama will face Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at home, with Ole Miss being the Tide’s only SEC opponent that they will face twice this year, both home and away. Alabama will be on the road for matchups against Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well.
The dates, start times, and television network for each will be revealed at a later date.
Alabama held a 7-9 record throughout SEC play last season. The Tide were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the nation despite struggling at times during conference play, and Alabama was able to make a run during the SEC Tournament with a shocking upset to the Tennessee Lady Vols in Nashville.
Alabama went 24-11 last season as a whole, but the Tide will undoubtedly need to play better during SEC play this year nonetheless.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Enjoy two nights of free dance at Stars on the Riverfront
Alabama Dance Theatre will present Stars on the Riverfront on June 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. each night at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.
In Alabama’s coastal landscape, two Alabama bridges quietly stand among the longest in the United States.
A new World Atlas ranking of the 11 longest bridges in the United States is a reminder that not all crossings are so forgettable. These are the spans that stretch the idea of a “quick drive” into something else entirely.
As World Atlas notes, the country’s roughly 617,000 bridges are mostly routine. The ones on this list “swallow the horizon,” turning open water into a roadway that can take ten or fifteen minutes to cross.
Louisiana dominates the ranking, but Alabama also makes its presence known with two entries: the Jubilee Parkway and the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge.
Jubilee Parkway: Alabama’s 7.5-mile bridge ranks No. 7 among longest in US
Ranked at No. 7 on World Atlas’ list, the Jubilee Parkway carries Interstate 10 across Mobile Bay as a pair of parallel viaduct bridges stretching 7.5 miles between Mobile and Spanish Fort/Daphne. Opened in 1978, the four-lane crossing is often called the “Bayway.”
The World Atlas says the bridge takes its name from Mobile Bay’s “jubilee” phenomenon, when marine life is pushed into shallow water, making it unusually easy to catch.
General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08-mile span ranks No. 10 in U.S.
The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge ranks No. 10 on the World Atlas list, stretching 6.08 miles across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of Mobile as part of Interstate 65.
World Atlas says the bridge is better known locally as the “Dolly Parton Bridge,” a nickname inspired by the paired arch design that, locals say, resembles a distinctive silhouette when viewed from certain angles.
Completed in 1980, it features twin parallel weathering-steel arches and concrete viaducts carrying four lanes over the wide, marshy delta.
Longest bridges in the U.S. Full World Atlas ranking
World Atlas ranks these as the longest bridges in the U.S.:
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway: 23.83 miles
- Manchac Swamp Bridge: 22.8 miles
- Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge: 18.2 miles
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: 17.6 miles
- Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge: 11 miles
- Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge: 8.26 miles
- Jubilee Parkway: 7.5 miles
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge: 7 miles
- Seven Mile Bridge: 6.79 miles
- General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08 miles
- Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge: 5.8 miles
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.
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