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Cara Mund, from Bismarck, N.D., a graduate of
Brown University in Rhode Island, who has been accepted to Notre
Dame's law school, trained for several summers with the
world-famous Rockettes.
Mund, 23, was one of 51 contestants in the pageant, representing
the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.
Mund, who adopted the Make-a-Wish foundation which benefits
children with life-threatening conditions as her platform for
the competition, performed a jazz dance to "The Way You Make Me
Feel" for the contest's talent portion, wearing a
double-breasted black mini-dress with a matching fedora-type
hat.
In a question-and-answer session, Mund weighed in on the United
States' recent withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, saying
she thought it was a "bad decision."
"Whether you believe it (climate change) or not, we need to be
at that table," she added.
The first runner-up was Miss Missouri, Jennifer Davis, who
competed on a platform of diversity.
She was followed by contestants from New Jersey, Kaitlyn
Schoeffel, District of Columbia, Briana Kinsey and Texas,
Margana Wood.
The pageant was broadcast live on ABC from Atlantic City, New
Jersey. The contest returned to the seaside gambling resort a
few years ago after nearly a decade in Las Vegas. It was dropped
by ABC in 2004 following a steep ratings decline, but returned
after years on cable.
Judges scored contestants, who ranged from teen-agers to the
cut-off age of 24, based on talent, the live question segment, a
personal interview and appearances in gowns and swimsuits.
Many of the entrants drew on music or dance for the talent
portion.
The winner receives a six-figure salary, expenses for the year
and a $50,000 scholarship.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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