Two-time fourth runner-up Dinaleigh Baxter from Winchester is the new Miss Ohio USA 2017 and newcomer Emma Karle from Springfield is Miss Ohio Teen USA!  Dinaleigh is the fourth consecutive past runner-up to win the Miss Ohio USA title.

In the Miss top five, three of the four runners-up were all competing for the first time: first runner-up Mariah Payne, third runner-up Sarah Burgett and fourth runner-up Madeleine Smith.  Second runner-up went to Taylor Diazmercado, who placed first runner-up last year.

Among the the rest of the top fifteen were past runners-up Courtney Rea and Caity Jackson, two-time Teen first runner-up Amanda Giroux and three-time past semi-finalist Sarah Bell.

In the Teen pageant, 2016 second runner-up Ana Rofkar made the top two and 2015 third runner-up Alessandra Gesiotto was fourth runner-up.  Their sisters were Ohio's 2014 representatives Emma Rofkar, Miss Ohio Teen USA 2014 and Madison Gesiotto, Miss Ohio USA 2014.  Second runner-up went to newcomer Macy Hudson and another newcomer, Au'Lauren Million placed third runner-up.

Four of the remaining semi-finalists were also semi-finalists last year, including Breahna Reid, sister of Miss Ohio Teen USA 2013 Brittany Reid.  Two past non-finalists also made the cut for the first time.

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Miss Ohio USA & Teen USA 2017 will be crowned Saturday night at 5pm (prelims were Friday night).  There are 53 contestants in the Miss competition and XXX in Teen, similar to last year and one of the larger state pageants nationally.  

In the Miss competition, all four runners-up from last year are returning: first runner-up Taylor Diazmercado, second runner-up Courtney Rea, third runner-up Caity Jackson and  fourth runner-up Dinaleigh Baxter.  Courtney and Dinaleigh were also runners-up in 2015 and Caity was third runner-up at Miss Ohio Teen USA 2011.  Two-time Teen first runner-up Amanda Giroux (2014 and 2015)  will be competing in the Miss pageant for the first time.  Returning semi-finalists are Stephanie Miranda (also last year's Photogenic winner), Sarah Bell, Mackenzie Rachlow (Teen 2015) and Jenna Jacobs (Teen 2014).

The last three Ohio winners had all been previous runners-up, and both Madison and Megan had also been Teen runners-up at the start of their pageant careers.  Last year all the Miss top five finalists had competed previously, as had four of the 2015 top five.  

Returning from last year in the Teen division are three sisters of former titleholders: Ana Rofkar, sister of Miss Ohio Teen USA 2014 Emma Rofkar, Alessandra Gesiotto, sister of Miss Ohio USA 2014 Madison Gesiotto and Breahna Reid, sister of Miss Ohio Teen USA 2013 Brittany Reid.  Ana was second runner-up and Alessandra and Breahna were semi-finalists -   Alessandra was also a runner-up at Miss Ohio Teen USA 2015.

The only other runner-up back is 2016 first runner-up Britain Bennett.  Other returning semi-finalists are Kristen Nguyen, Angel Bagley and Marisa Matsanoff from 2016 and Nicole Sherb from 2015.

UPDATE - Congratulations to Miss OH USA Megan Rae Wise and Miss OH USA Olivia Turk!

Miss Ohio USA and Teen USA 2016 will be crowned on Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Ohio, a new location for the pageant after many years in Portsmouth.  Miss numbers are steady, while the Teen division has grown 15% on previous years.  Contestant photos can be found here.

In what I am sure is a first there are three sisters of former titleholders competing in the Teen division: Alessandra Gesiotto (3RU 2015), sister of Miss Ohio USA 2014 Madison Gesiotto; Ana Rofkar, sister of Miss Ohio Teen USA 2014 Emma Rofkar; and Breanah Reid, sister of Miss Ohio Teen USA 2013 Brittany Reid​.  Madison placed third runner-up the year before she won Miss Ohio USA, so it will be interesting to see if Alessandra follows in her footsteps this year.

All four 2015 runners-up are competing again this year.  Megan Wise, second runner-up last year, will be competing for the ninth time, while third runner-up Courtney Rea ​is competing for the fifth year.  Megan has only failed to make the top five once in the eight years she has competed.  Two-time runner-up India Simone was first runner-up last year, while Dinaleigh Baxter was fourth runner-up.  Alex-Taylor Deitz (Alex Taylor) is competing in Ohio for the first time after being a semi-finalist in Pennsylvania last year and first runner-up at Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA three consecutive years between 2012 and 2014.  Returning semi-finalists are Alissa Brumbaugh (2015), Sarah Powell (2015), Ericka Leighty (2015), Jordan Brown (2015) and Carley Powell (2014), as well as some who have made the semis in Teen previously. 

​Kara Mitchell was first runner-up at Miss Ohio (MAO) 2014 while Alissa Brumbaugh was first runner-up at Miss OH in 2011 and 2012 and also placed 1RU at the  National Sweetheart pageant.

In addition to Alessandra Gesiotto, the only returning runner-up from last year is fourth runner-up Francheska Torres.  Semi-finalists who are back include Olivia Sohnly, Hannah Keller, Tamera Carter, Olivia Turk (2014) and Whitneyshianne Smith.

* indicates contestant is competing in 2016:

See also:
Miss Ohio USA & Teen USA Titleholder History | Ohio state pageant results 

Click "read more" or scroll below for the full list of contestants with notes of past placements.