Mississippi

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

Published

11 months 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.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Source link

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

Click to comment

Mississippi

Bulldogs Score 107 In Victory Over Mississippi Valley State – Mississippi State

Published

1 day ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Bulldogs Score 107 In Victory Over Mississippi Valley State – Mississippi State

STARKVILLE – The Bulldogs scored the most points in the Sam Purcell era and topped 100 points for the fifth time as Mississippi State cruised to a 107-43 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

“First and foremost, I’m proud of my young women and the effort they gave in this quick turnaround,” head coach Sam Purcell said. “Obviously, this is a game we thought we could win, but I challenged them to play to our standards and our level on the defensive side, so that’s a good win.”

Chandler Prater scored a career-high 25 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor. She knocked down four three-pointers at a 66.7 rate and went 100 percent from the charity stripe. She also collected five rebounds and five assists in the contest.

“We’re gelling really well as a team,” Prater said. “I was just able to take what the defense gave me today. It felt easy today.”

Madison Fancis picked up a career-high 17 points in the contest on 7-12 shooting from the floor. She collected eight rebounds and five blocks, her second 5+ block performance of the young season.

“Last game, I felt I was really fast paced where I should have been slower,” Francis said about her performance. “This game, I definitely took my time more and let the game come to me.”

Nataliyah Gray played an efficient 15 minutes, collecting a career-high 15 points. She freshman from Texas went 4-5 from the floor and consistently drew fouls at the basket, as she went 7-9 from the stripe.

Rocio Jimenez collected her first career points as a Bulldog. After reclassifying to join the team in December of 2023, Jimenez arrived in the States with an injury that kept her out for the past two seasons. Jimenez collected nine points on 80% shooting. She collected three rebounds and a steal as well.

“There was a lot of hard work, a lot of tears,” Jimenez said. “I feel proud for these moments. My first college game and now my first time scoring, that was cool for me.”

Favour Nwaedozi brought in a career-high 16 rebounds, with eight of those coming on the offensive glass. She picked up seven points on 50 percent shooting, as well as three steals.

The Bulldogs will be back in action this Thursday, as they welcome Jackson State to Humphrey Colisuem. Tipoff for the contest is set for 6 p.m. CT on SECN+.

Visit HailState.com for the latest news and information on women’s basketball. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching ‘HailStateWBK’ on X, Facebook and Instagram.

Source link

Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Nov. 8, 2025

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Nov. 8, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 8, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Nov. 8 drawing

01-10-23-24-34

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Nov. 8 drawing

Midday: 9-2-8, FB: 1

Evening: 8-7-2, FB: 3

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Nov. 8 drawing

Midday: 0-5-2-8, FB: 1

Evening: 9-4-5-1, FB: 3

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Nov. 8 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 13

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Mississippi

Why do Mississippi State fans ring cowbells at football games? Bulldogs tradition explained

Published

3 days ago

November 8, 2025

Press Room

Why do Mississippi State fans ring cowbells at football games? Bulldogs tradition explained

The cowbell is synonymous with Mississippi State athletics.

Walk into Davis Wade Stadium for a football game on a fall Saturday, and you’ll see almost every fan with a cowbell in hand. They ring them all game long, creating a unique (and loud) atmosphere in college football.

Why do Mississippi State fans ring cowbells? Here’s what to know ahead of the Week 11 game against No. 5 Georgia.

Why do Mississippi State fans ring cowbells?

According to Mississippi State, cowbells began appearing gradually at sporting events in the 1930s and 1940s.

The legend says that a jersey cow once wandered on to the field during a football game in the Egg Bowl between Mississippi State and Ole Miss. MSU won the game, and fans saw the cow as good luck. Students began to bring cows to the games, but that tradition was discontinued and replaced with cowbells.

Why are Mississippi State fans allowed to ring cowbells?

The SEC banned artificial noisemakers in 1974, including cowbells. A compromise was struck in 2010 where Mississippi State could bring the cowbells back for a one-year trial as long as they adhered to certain rules, like not ringing while the ball was in play.

Mississippi State fans have been able to ring cowbells ever since.

When are Mississippi State fans allowed to use cowbells?

MSU fans are allowed to ring the cowbells until the center puts a hand on the football in formation.

The university has made an effort to make sure fans follow the rules with the cowbells. There are signs and messages on the videoboard that either say “ring responsibly” or “rest your bell” to let fans know when they must stop ringing the cowbell.

What Georgia’s Kirby Smart said about Mississippi State’s cowbells

Georgia last played in Starkville in 2022 and won 45-19. Before that, Georgia hadn’t played at Mississippi State since 2010. MSU won that game 24-12, its only win against Georgia in the past 15 games dating to 1974.

“Noise is noise,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “It’s hard to play in the SEC on the road. I have not been to an SEC venue that it was not hard to play into on the road. It’s just hard. That’s not going to change with them. They’ve got a really vertical stadium. I think the noise gets trapped in their stadium.

“It’s one of the loudest places I’ve coached, and I’ve coached there a lot. They’ve got a lot of pride in how they play and how their team plays and the support of their team.”

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

Source link