America, bow before your new queen! Miss North Dakota Cara Mund has been crowned the 2018 Miss America on Sunday night. The 23-year-old Bismarck native was crowned by Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields in the weekend long competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Mund is the first Miss North Dakota to become Miss America and reach the top five as well. The judge panel included singer Jordin Sparks, actress Molly Sims, PEOPLE Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle and singer Thomas Rhett.
Miss Missouri Jennifer Davis was the first runner up while Kaitlyn Schoeffel from New Jersey took the spot of the second runner up. The other top 15 contestants were:
- Miss Texas Margana Wood
- Miss Alabama Jessica Procter
- Miss Louisiana Laryssa Bonacquisti
- Miss Pennsylvania Katie Schreckengast
- Miss South Carolina Suzi Roberts
- Miss Virginia Cecili Weber
- Miss Georgia Alyssa Beasley
- Miss Tennessee Caty Davis
- Miss Alaska Angelina Klapperich
- Miss Illinois Abby Foster (America’s choice)
- and Miss New Mexico Taylor Rey
Who is Cara Mund?
Cara Mund is a business graduate from Brown University. She has been competing in beauty pageants since she was six years old.
She won the Miss North Dakota title in June 2017. It was her fourth time competing in the state competition. In her home state, Mund has won other coveted titles such as Miss Pre-Teen, Miss Junior Teen and Little Miss.
Reportedly, Mund is starting law school at Notre Dame in late 2017.