Kayla Mick and Maggie McClendon, both UT Martin students, claimed the Miss UT Martin and Miss Weakley County Volunteer titles, respectively, during the 66th Miss University of Tennessee at Martin Pageant, Sept. 15, in the Boling University Center’s Watkins Auditorium.
The combined pageant also crowns the Miss Weakley County Volunteer winner. The event is organized by the university’s Division of Student Affairs.
Mick is a sophomore fine and performing arts major from Baxter and McClendon is a senior engineering major from Clarksville. Both will compete in the statewide Miss Tennessee Volunteer Pageant next summer at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson.
The winner of the Miss Tennessee Volunteer crown serves as the governor’s spokesperson for character education and receives $10,000 in scholarship money. Each contestant who competes at the Miss Tennessee Volunteer pageant in July 2025 will receive at least $1,000 in scholarship money.
Sloan Wiggs of Tullahoma earned first runner-up honors for Miss UT Martin, while Harlei McClintock of Jackson was named second runner-up.
Earning first runner-up for Miss Weakley County Volunteer was Molly Oswalt of Burlison. Chloe Amick of McKenzie earned second runner-up honors and was named the talent competition winner. Payton Johnson of Cullman, Alabama, received the People’s Choice Award.
Former titleholders Miss UT Martin Morgan Martin and Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival Katie Facello emceed the pageant. Also participating in the pageant program were Maleia Bigham, 2024 Miss UT Martin; Hannah McKay, the reigning Miss Tennessee Volunteer; and Kristin Henning, the reigning Miss Tennessee Teen Volunteer. Henning is a from Jackson and is a UT Martin student.
Each contestant competed in private interview, fitness and wellness, talent and evening wear. In addition to the Miss UT Martin title, Mick earned Miss Congeniality and won the interview, fitness and evening gown competitions.
“I feel so and totally blessed,” Mick said following the pageant. “All glory to God – nothing I did – and I have to use this title to really showcase our great university on the Miss Tennessee (Volunteer) stage and shine a really bright light.” She now begins preparation for Miss Tennessee Volunteer in all pageant competition categories, including showcasing her dance talent in Jackson.
Mick supports two platforms: “Leashes Leading Love,” which brings awareness to auditory processing disorder and animal care systems, and “The Magic of Movement and Healthy Living” that promotes how dance and education complement each other in a child’s educational experience.
McClendon is also a longtime pageant participant, and this is her first time to win a pageant that qualifies her to compete for the Miss Tennessee Volunteer crown.
“I’m so excited to be able to represent Weakley County,” she said. “I’m a senior this year, so this is the last year I’m going to be here and it’s such an honor.” Ahead of Miss Tennessee Volunteer next year, McClendon will focus on community service involvement, the different pageant competition categories, and like her fellow Miss UT Martin crown holder, refine her dance talent for the next level of competition.
McClendon’s platform brings awareness to suicide among military veterans, a subject that hits close to home. “I’m from the Fort Campbell area, and my dad is a veteran as well as nearly my entire family (associated with the military), so I love to be able to give back to my hometown,” she said.
Both earned scholarship money for winning their respective titles and will represent the university and Weakley County in different activities during the coming year.
For information about the combined pageant, email missutmweakleyco@yahoo.com.
PHOTO: Pictured following the pageant are (l-r) Kristin Henning, Miss Tennessee Teen Volunteer and a UT Martin freshman from Jackson; Kayla Mick of Baxter; Maggie McClendon of Clarksville; and Hannah McKay of Seymour, Miss Tennessee Volunteer.
