MISS MISS 2025: Miss Pine Belt Paige McNeil and Miss Capital City Anna Leah Jolly take Friday preliminary awards

Published 10:41 pm Friday, June 13, 2025

: Preliminary winners were Miss Capital City Anna Leah Jolly, left, for talent and Miss Pine Belt Paige McNeil for evening wear at the Miss Mississippi competition at the Vicksburg Convention Center on Friday. PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD.

Preliminary rounds of the 2025 Miss Mississippi Competition came to a close Friday night at the Vicksburg Convention Center with Miss Pine Belt Paige McNeil winning in the evening gown phase and Miss Capital City Anna Leah Jolly winning in the talent phase of the competition.

McNeil wore a black gown she personally designed.

As the evening gown preliminary winner, McNeil received a $400 scholarship from Ameristar Casino and Hotel.

Jolly performed a Ballet en Pointe dance for her talent.

Jolly received a $500 scholarship from Ameristar Casino and Hotel.

Previous preliminary winners from this week are Miss Vicksburg Morgan Nelson and Miss Mississippi State University Sarah Randolph. On Wednesday, Nelson won the evening gown phase of the preliminary competition and Randolph won talent. Both Nelson and Randolph are from Vicksburg.

Thursday night Miss University McKenzie Cox won in evening gown. Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry won talent.

The final round of the competition, where the top scoring contestants and the People’s Choice Award winner will re-compete in all phases of the competition except for the judge’s interview, will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday with one contestant being crowned the new Miss Mississippi.

Tickets for the competition and crowning are $50 and are available by calling 601-638-6746.

Saturday night’s 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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