Miss Illinois wins Miss America title

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Miss Illinois Erika Harold, who put Harvard University law school on hold so she could compete in the Miss America Pageant, won it all Saturday.

Harold, 22, an opera singer from Urbana, Ill., wowed judges with "Habanera," an aria from the opera "Carmen," and performed ably on a newly added contemporary culture pop quiz given to the five finalists.

She gasped, covered her mouth and bent her knees in disbelief when her name was announced as Miss America 2003, then ducked her head to receive the crown from outgoing Miss America Katie Harman.

Miss Alabama Scarlotte Deupree was first runner-up; Miss Oklahoma Casey Preslar was second runner-up; Miss Nevada Teresa Benitez was third runner-up; and Miss Maryland Camille Lewis rounded out the finalists.

Harold, a University of Illinois graduate who wants to practice public policy law and run for national office someday, was supposed to start at Harvard this fall. She delayed her enrollment after winning her state pageant and a shot at Miss America.

A year with the crown will help her pay tuition: She earned a $50,000 scholarship for winning Saturday night, and thousands more in winning her state crown and Miss America preliminaries.

The pop quiz, which was aimed at showing the contestants' brainpower, added a pinch of "Jeopardy" to the staid old beauty pageant, with host Wayne Brady quizzing the five women on contemporary culture and American history.

Harold correctly answered 10 of the 16 multiple choice questions, which was second best among the finalists. Deupree answered 11 right.

Harold's crowning may boost the Miss America Organization's never-ending crusade to be taken seriously as something other than a bathing beauty festival. The organization is the largest provider of scholarships to women in the world, but its swimsuit competition and emphasis on beauty have hampered those efforts.