Miss Massachusetts USA & Teen USA 2016 contestant commentary

UPDATE Congratulations to Miss MA USA 2016 Whitney Sharpe and Miss MA Teen USA 2016 Alexis Frasca!

Miss Massachusetts USA & Teen USA 2016 will be crowned in Lowell on Sunday afternoon.  Miss numbers are down slightly on recent years but actually fairly similar to where they were at in 2007-09.  Teen numbers have had a 30 per cent drop on recent years and sadly are at their lowest in a decade.

There aren't that many returning contestants this year, but we do have two of last year's runners-up competing: first runner-up Whitney Sharpe and second runner-up Amanda Soucy.  Allison DeJesus, fourth runner-up in 2012 and 2013 is back after missing the cut in 2014 and sitting out last year.  From Rhode Island, last year's third runner-up Nicole Eacuello is competing as well - a former Rhode Island runner-up won in New Hampshire so maybe it will happen again!   2013 Vermont Teen USA first runner-up Taylor Hough has also moved & is competing in Mass for the first time.

Amanda and Allison are cheerleaders for the Patriots, and will be competing to be the second of the Pats lineup to compete at Miss USA this year - Miss NH USA is also a Patriots cheerleader.  Also on the squad is Miss Vermont Teen USA 2011 Bridget Martin.

Whitney Sharpe, Amanda Soucy, Alison DeJesus | Nicole Eacuello, Taylor Hough

In Teen, the daughter of our very first Miss Teen USA Ruth Zakarian is competing!  Fiaba actually competed in 2014 as well but I had overlooked the connection.  She has been working with Shandi and Susie, that's quite the line up of experience she has backing her :)

2015 second runner-up Kristen Marino is the only runner-up competing but there are three semi-finalists back: Bretagne Guempel, Emily Shulze, and Taylor Ward, as well as 2015 Minnesota semi-finalist Andrea Rustad who now attends Boston University. 

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

Click 'read more' or scroll down to view the full list of contestants.

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Contestants

MISS MASSACHUSETTS USA (53)
Melisa Aguirre-Garcia
Leanne Annese
Rachelle Araujo
Ashley Baptista (SF 15)
Brittany Boggs
Siobhan Brady
Samantha Caouette
Cassandra Cardell
Melanie Chhouy
Christie Clayton
Iris Cruzado-Rivera
Allison DeJesus (NF 14, 4RU 13, 4RU 12)
Chelsea Derrig
Brynna Donahue
Mounica Donepudi
Bridget Durkin
Nicole Eacuello (3RU RI USA 15, NF 14, NF 11)
Colleen Fagan
Megan Foley
Sheree Fray
Michele Galante (NF & Photogenic 13)
Lexia Gillette (NF MA TUSA 14)
Kayla Gretzy
Taylor Hough (NF VT USA 15, 1RU VT TUSA 13, SF 12)
Jenna Kelley
Elizabeth Keohane
Takijah King
Elizabeth Lamica
Caroline Lushbough
Brittany Macdonald
Molly McQuade
Daniela Mendes (NF 15, NF 14)
Shannon Michael
Franchesca Nival
Dora Otero
Neeti Patel
Lauren Racine
Brianna Retzler
Eleni Retzos
Kristina Rugnetta (NF NJ USA 12)
Whitney Sharpe (1RU 15, NF 14)
Julie Simopoulos
Amanda Soucy (2RU 15, SF 14)
Nicole Spaziane
Gabriela Taveras
Emily Thomas
Rachael Tracy
Nicole Ursch
Maria Valdez
Brittany Williams
Emily Wimsatt
Stephanie Wozniak
Raquelle Zelada

​MISS MASSACHUSETTS TEEN USA (40)
Lillian Andrews
Jillian Barry (NF 15)
Kendyl Brooks
Kaila Chanthaboun
Alyssa Croft
Linda Decicco
Andrea Eusse
Gabrielle Fantini (NF 15)
Martie Faye-Agravante
Alexis Frasca
Sarah Gabriel
Bretagne Guempel (SF & Photogenic 15)
Kathryn Hale
Ryann Jerome
Chandler Karp
Brianna Keirstead
Camryn Kruger
Kaitlyn Lima (NF 15)
Kristen Marino (2RU 15)
Caitlyn Martin
Kaley McDowell
Genesis Mendez
Breanna Merrigan
Brenna Murray
Anastasia Noyes
Sectra Okundaye
Ashley Paturzo
Julieanne Pike
Marianna Ring
Andrea Rustad (SF MN TUSA 15, NF 14)
Emily Schulze (SF 15)
Kimia Shajii
Ashley Simoes (NF 15)
Grace Sohoel-Goldberg
Alexis Theirman
Julie Torrez
Jacqueline Vieira
Taylor Ward (SF 15)
Lexi Woloshchuk
Fiaba Zakarian​