Miss Orlando Courtney Sexton, a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ student seeking a masterβs degree in health administration, was named Miss Florida on Saturday and will compete in the upcoming Miss America Pageant.
The addition of Sexton, 23, to the national competition means at least two contestants with ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ ties will vie for the Miss America title Sept. 11 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Erin OβFlaherty, who was Miss ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ 2013, was recently crowned Miss Missouri to represent that state.
Sexton, of Starke, was crowned in Lakeland over 47 other contestants and won an $18,000 scholarship. She also won the βlifestyle, fitness and swimsuitβ competition earlier in the week.
Sexton last year finished in the top 10 of the Miss Florida Pageant as Miss Daytona Beach.
Finishing as 1st runner-up in the pageant was another ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ student, Lindsay Bettis, a member of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ KnightMoves dance team. Bettis competed as Miss Daytona Beach.
OβFlaherty, 23, owns and operates a boutique in Chesterfield, Missouri. She earned her bachelorβs degree in accounting in 2014.