Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry and Miss University McKenzie Cox take preliminary wins in Thursday's Miss Mississippi Competition - The Vicksburg Post

Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry and Miss University McKenzie Cox take preliminary wins in Thursday’s Miss Mississippi Competition

Published 9:50 pm Thursday, June 12, 2025

: Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry, left, won in the talent phase and Miss University McKenzie Cox, right, won the evening gown phase in Thursday's preliminary competition. Photo by Chris Todd

Continuing through their journey to the crown, the 33 Miss Mississippi contestants finished the second round of the preliminary competitions Thursday night at the Vicksburg Convention Center with Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry winning in the talent phase and Miss University McKenzie Cox winning the evening gown phase.

Cox wore a black gown with an embellished bodice.

“Growing up, I always liked bright colors, but for some reason when I first tried (the dress) on, it just felt right,” Cox said. “I know the judges saw the dress, but I’m really hoping they saw the preparation and the confidence and the self worth that I’ve done over this past year to get ready to represent the Ole Miss community on this stage.”

In addition to being named the evening gown preliminary winner, Cox was awarded a $400 scholarship by Ameristar Casino and Hotel.

For the talent phase of the competition Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry chose to perform a jazz dance to Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.”

“Coming back to Miss Mississippi this year, I knew I needed to channel my inner Tina Turner,” Granberry said. “It’s a song that everyone knows. Audience engagement is really important for me, especially in talent as a dancer. Anything to get people involved is my favorite, so ‘Proud Mary’ was it.”

As the preliminary talent winner, Granberry was awarded a $500 scholarship by the Ameristar Casino and Hotel.

In Wednesday night’s first round of preliminary competitions, Miss Vicksburg Morgan Nelson won the evening gown phase and Miss Mississippi State University Sarah Randolph won talent. Both Nelson and Randolph are from Vicksburg.

The final round of preliminary competitions will begin at 7 p.m. Friday.

Scoring for the preliminary nights of competition are as follows: 30% for private interview; 20% for talent/HER Story; 20% for health and fitness; 20% for evening gown; and 10% for on-stage question.

The final round of competition and crowning will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday. For the final night of the competition, the top 10 contestants with the highest scores will re-compete for the crown. Scores for the final round are 30% for the composite score; 20% for talent/HER Story; 20% for health and fitness; 20% for evening gown; and 10% for the on-stage question.

Tickets are $50 for Friday’s preliminaries and Saturday’s final round of competition. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 601-638-6746.

The final round of competition will also air on WLBT-Jackson, WLOX-Biloxi, WMC Bounce – Memphis, WTVA-Tupelo, WTOK- Meridian and WDAM-Hattiesburg.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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