The ten Miss contestants include last year's first runner-up Nichole Greene and second runner-up Marlisa Lake who both represent festival titles which have commonly been very successful in Miss WV USA - Nichole is Miss WV Three Rivers Festival and Marlisa is Miss WV Strawberry Festival. There are also two former Teen runners-up back- Lauren Roush, 2RU in 2013 and Tori Rohr, 3RU in 2011. The fifth returnee is 2015 semi-finalist Carly Stover.
In Teen, three of the four runners-up are back including 2015 third runner-up and former Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen 2011 Isabelle Raese. It's amazing to think that Isabelle is still only 17, but she was only 13 when she won Miss IA's Outstanding Teen and competed at Miss America's Outstanding Teen! The other returning runners-up are 2RU Sarah Miranda and 4RU Katie Riedel. 2014 4RU Macey Burns is also competing.
2016 contestants marked with asterisks:
Contestants
Allie Cole
Laura Der
Catherine Ellzey
Leslie Garrett
Nichole Greene (1RU 15)
Marlisa Lake (2RU 15)
Tori Rohr (SF 14, 3RU WV TUSA 11)
Lauren Roush (SF WV TUSA 14, 2RU 13)
Karah Sheppard
Carly Stover (SF 15)
MISS WEST VIRGINIA TEEN USA (30)
Amber Biel
Taylor Bumgardner
Macey Burns (4RU 14)
Carly Farmer
Caroline Fodor
Alejandra Hancock
Kelsey Hill
Kaylea Hoffman
Emily Keefer
Marianna Kibak
Ashley Kiser
Daisy Lively
Katlynn McKinney
Sarah Miranda (2RU 15)
Heather Naples (NF 13)
Madelyn Price
Isabel Raese (3RU 15, SF 14, Miss WV's OT 11)
Kristen Rager
Katie Riedel (4RU 15)
Kathryn Scarbro (NF 14)
Presley Slater
Haley Smalley
Morgan Sith
Zoe Spencer
Courtney Trader (NF 15)
Cassy Trickett (SF 15)
Kaylee VanDevander
Alexis Webb (NF 15, NF 14)
Emily Wigal (NF 15)
Serena Wiseman