Miss New York 2014 was crowned the winner of Miss America 2015 on Sunday night, beating out the favorites.
Kira Kazantsev beat out 52 other women who tried to get the crown.
Kazantsev, 22, hails from Manhattan.
Miss Arkansas Ashton Jo Campbel, Miss Florida Victoria Cowen, Miss Viriginia Courtney Paige Garrett, and Miss Massachusetts Lauren Kuhn were the rest of the top 5.
Kazantsev’s win marks the third year in a row that a contestant from her state has walked away with the crown in the nationally televised pageant.
Kazantsev received the crown Sunday night at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall from outgoing Miss America — and Miss New York — Nina Davuluri.
Kazantsev sang Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” while sitting cross-legged on the stage and banging a red plastic cup on the floor.
She named combating sexual assault in the military as the issue she would want female U.S. Senators to press their male counterparts.
MORE:
Miss New York ‘Happy’ Performance With Cup Slammed by Twitter (+Vine Video)
Miss New York Kira Kazantsev: Pictures, Age, Swimsuit Picture, Facts for NY Miss America Winner
------------Original story below.
The favorites for Miss America 2015 include the women who won awards in the preliminary competition.
Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart and Miss Florida Victoria Cowen kicked off the awards by winning the first night, for Talent and Lifestyle & Fitness respectively.
Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter and Miss Oklahoma Alex Eppler won the awards for the second night.
Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith and Miss Maryland Jade Kenny won them the third night.
Check out more about these women below.
Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart
This 22-year-old hails from Columbus and wants to become a broadcast meteorologist.
Her talent is ventriloquism, and her platform is Universal Newborn Screening –The STEM of It.
Miss Florida Victoria Cowen
The 21-year-old hails from Panama City and wants to pursue a career in Medical Device Marketing and Sales.
Her talent is lyrical dance and her platform is One Chance, One Choice Inc., a nonprofit is focused on empowering the youth of to today to make the right decisions.
Miss Oklahoma Alex Eppler
The 24-year-old hails from Edmond and wants to become a physician assistant and work as a medical missionary.
Her talent is dance and her platform is Dare 2 Care: Random Acts of Kindness.
Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter
This 23-year-old hails from Hartford and wants to become an educator and administrator specializing in supporting children with learning disabilities.
Her talent is fiddle and her platform is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness: The Invisible Disease.
Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith
The 21-year-old hails from Dade City and wants to pursue a career in the Performing Arts.
Her talent is vocal and her platform is Fitness and Nutrition: The Key to Healthy Living.
Miss Maryland Jade Kenny
The 23-year-old hails from Madison and wants to obtain a Juris Doctorate degree and become a sports agent.
Her talent is dance and her platform is The Rainbows Organization.
MORE:
Miss New York Kira Kazantsev: Pictures, Photos, Age, Facts for NY Miss America Contestant
Miss America Live Stream: Free Online Video for 2015 Pageant (+TV Channel, Time, Date)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
