Cassie Donegan, Miss New York 2025, was crowned Miss America 2026 on Sunday night at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida.
Donegan is an actress and singer, as well as the chief operations officer at Southern Sitter, a childcare booking company in New York City. She earned a bachelor’s degree in musical theater from Belmont University in Nashville and attended AMES Christian University.
Donegan, a Virginia native, will receive a $50,000 in scholarship money as Miss America and immediately start a yearlong reign.
Miss America 2025, Alabama’a Abbie Stockard, crowned her successor at Sunday’s finals competition, which streamed on the Miss America YouTube channel and PageantVision.com.
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Stockard, a Birmingham native, was prominently featured at the ceremony on Sunday, appearing at the front of production numbers and performing a contemporary dance routine to Celine Dion’s “Flying on My Own.” She also took her final walk as the national titleholder.
“Tonight, I leave this stage honored, grateful, and still in awe that it all really happened,” Stockard said in a voice-over. “I will forever hold close the people, places and moments that made this year the most meaningful one yet. Thank you, America, for letting me serve you, for trusting me with this title, for embracing me as I am, and for giving me the opportunity of loving you in return.”
The new winner, Donegan, received a glittering crown and a bouquet of roses at the end of the ceremony as a blizzard of confetti flew. She received hugs from her fellow contestants and took her first walk on stage as Miss America 2026.
Donegan sang “A Darker Shade of Blue,” from the musical “Some Like It Hot,” in the talent portion of Sunday’s finals. She answered on-stage questions, walked the runway in an evening gown, strutted in fitness clothes and more. Her community service initiative is Promoting Arts Education In Our School Systems.
Miss Alabama 2025, Emma Terry, wore this one-of-a-kind couture gown from Jovani at the Miss America pageant. It’s from The Clothes Tree by Deborah. (Will McLelland | AL.com)Will McLelland
Emma Terry, Miss Alabama 2025. made it to the top five on Sunday and was named fourth runner-up in the competition, She earned a $5,000 scholarship and was featured throughout the pageant, participating in evening gown, on-stage question, fitness and talent segments. For talent, Terry performed a ballet en pointe routine to “What a Feeling (Flashdance).”
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The top five finalists were:
Miss New York 2025, Cassie Donegan (winner).
Miss Texas 2025, Sadie Schiermeyer (first runner-up).
Miss Florida 2025, Paris Richardson (second runner-up).
Miss Georgia 2025, Audrey Kittila (third runner-up).
Miss Alabama 2025, Emma Terry (fourth runner-up).
The runners-up received $5,000-$10,000 each in scholarship money, according to the Miss America organization.
Terry took home another award, placing third for the Miss America Quality of Life Award and earning another $5,000 scholarship. This accolade honors outstanding community service and the contestants’ ability to make a lasting impact.
Terry’s community service initiative is Stomping Out ALS One Step at a Time. She grew up in Leeds, helping to care for a grandfather with ALS, and is determined to raise awareness and support research for the neurodegenerative disease.
The top 11 semi-finalists were:
Miss Alabama 2025, Emma Terry.
Miss Florida 2025, Paris Richardson.
Miss Texas 2025, Sadie Schiermeyer.
Miss Arkansas 2025, Kennedy Holland.
Miss Tennessee 2025, Zoe Scheiderich.
Miss Georgia 2025, Audrey Kittila.
Miss Maryland 2025, Maria Derisavi.
Miss New York 2025, Cassie Donegan.
Miss Mississippi 2025, Anna Leah Jolly.
Miss Kentucky 2025, Ariana Rodriguez.
Miss Illinois 2025, Nitsaniyah Fitch.
When Terry was announced as one of the top 11, pageant host Billy Gilman gave a special shoutout to Alabama, calling it a state with “sweet tea and Roll Tide pride.”
A total of 52 women competed in the Miss America finals, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
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Another contestant at this year’s Miss America pageant has a tie to Alabama. Lydia Fisher, who competed as Miss Iowa 2025, is graduate of the University of Alabama. Fisher was a Miss Alabama contestant in 2022 and 2023, during her time as a student in Tuscaloosa. She was not among the 11 semi-finalists on Sunday.
Model and actress Nikki Novak hosted Sunday’s finals ceremony along with Gilman, a country singer and 2016 finalist on “The Voice”.
Judges for the Miss America finals were Mayan Lopez, an actress who starred in the NBC sitcom “Lopez vs. Lopez”; Frank Kelleher, president of Daytona International Speedway; Frederick Anderson, a fashion designer; Jen Hale, an NFL sideline reporter for FOX; Tawny Godin Welch, Miss America 1976 and a former TV news anchor; and Nick Nanton, a producer and director.
The past week has been a busy one for the Miss America organization. Miss America’s Teen, a sister pageant to Miss America, announced its 2026 winner on Saturday, also at the Walt Disney Theater. Tess Ferm, who competed as Miss South Carolina’s Teen, took the crown.
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The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.
Philon is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era after he replaced Daryl Morey as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Who is Labaron Philon Jr.?
Philon, 20, led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season, averaging 22.0 points on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers. He was the focal point of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, as Alabama led the country in points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Crimson Tide (No. 16) finished the season with a 25-10 record and went 13-5 against conference opponents.
Philon, who helped lead Alabama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, earned Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors in his sophomore season.
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In 33 games last season for Alabama, Philon scored 725 total points, which is ranked third-most by a player in a single season in program history.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Labaron Philon Jr. after he is drafted twenty-second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
Philon was the 34th-ranked basketball recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Alabama, according to 247sports. The four-star guard initially committed to playing at Auburn, but decommitted. He then signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas, but didn’t play there, either. He then committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2024.
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Philon impressed as a freshman at Alabama and averaged 10.6 points in 37 games. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft but then withdrew and returned for his sophomore season, where he saw his scoring average jump more than 10 points.
Philon is a Mobile, Alabama, native and played at Baker High School in Mobile County, where he scored 2,334 points in three seasons. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year twice.
As a junior, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named Alabama Mr. Basketball, which is given to the best high school boys’ basketball player in the state. Philon transferred to Link Academy, a boarding school in Missouri, for his senior year of high school.
Philon now joins a backcourt headlined by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe heading into the 2026-27 season. Quentin Grimes could return to Philadelphia next season and add even more depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The pick the Sixers used to pick Philon was acquired in the deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.
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Labaron Philon Jr. scouting report
CBS Sports had Philon ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, according to CBS Sports:
Strengths
On-ball creator who made an extreme leap as a sophomore, ranking in the 99th percentile in isolations (was 24th percentile as a freshman) and 94th as a pick-and-roll handler (was 32nd percentile as a freshman). Combines smooth attack with sudden change of speed and direction, dexterity, and finishing craft in the lane.
Shot-maker who can make tough shots off both the catch (36% on contested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers), dribble (38% from deep), and has extreme gravity when he’s spacing the floor (46% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers).
Shown pliability to thrive in different roles over the years and is a similarly versatile creator, because he’s a scoring threat at multiple levels and also an accurate, and somewhat creative, passer with both hands off the dribble.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent defensive approach. Showed more engagement and potential as a freshman, but couldn’t maintain that as a sophomore when taking on a bigger offensive role.
Lacks overwhelming physicality or highest level explosiveness, and didn’t add any notable muscle mass between his freshman and sophomore seasons (175 pounds at 2025 combine and 176 at 2026 combine).
Unclear how well his creation scales to the NBA level when he will have less usage and volume coupled by more physicality in opposing defenders.
Alabama football hosted a hometown kid for an official visit last weekend when it got Jeremiah Beverley on campus for an official visit.
Beverley attends Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and ESPN currently has him rated as a four-star recruit. He is considering Alabama, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and others.
The Crimson Tide offered Beverley earlier this month and got him on campus for an official visit last weekend. The Alabama target told Touchdown Alabama he used the visit to learn what the Tide has planned for him if he commits.
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“I’m truly happy that I went on that official visit,” Beverley said. “Blessed for that. All I was talking about was the next step, what I got to do? So, just knowing what they have planned for me, knowing what they have set for me.”
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Beverley makes plays for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa as a defensive end. Alabama has plans to use him similarly at the next level.
“They’re going to have me at wolf mostly,” Beverley said. “I know coach (Kane) Wommack and coach (Christian) Robinson, I think they see me at other positions, but I know it is guaranteed they’re going to see me at Wolf and me working my way up on special teams, and they expect that out of me.”
Beverley is expected to announce a commitment decision on Friday.
Watch Jeremiah Beverley’s Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Alabama football is hiring Noah Fisher to be its assistant tight ends coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Fisher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Louisville before joining the Tide’s staff. He played three years on the offensive line at South Alabama and spent one season with Tulane. The Jaguars started Fisher along its offensive line when he was a player for multiple games.
The Crimson Tide appear to want to use their tight ends in multiple ways in the future including as extra blockers along the line of scrimmage. Fisher looks as if he can assist the Tide with this mission.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
