Miss Hamilton County Autumn Wiggins greets the audience at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson after winning Thursday night's swimsuit preliminary at the 2004 Miss Tennessee Pageant.
photo by Wendy King
JACKSON, TN – The Miss Tennessee 2004 judges must appreciate the physical fitness of the Chattanooga area contestants because for the second in as many nights of preliminaries, another local woman has emerged victorious in the swimwear competition.
Miss Hamilton County Autumn Wiggins, who admits to having a weakness for French fries, wore a two piece yellow swimsuit enroute to her win here Thursday night at the Carl Perkins Civic Center before an appreciative audience.
On Wednesday night, Miss Scenic City Ashley Brooks tied for top honors in the same event.
Wiggins, a Lee University graduate who has a goal of opening a chain of daycare centers, was overwhelmed by her win and thanked her trainer Randy Webb of Future Fit who has kept her on a strict regimen the past six months in preparation for Miss Tennessee.
“I was completely surprised and to receive this honor is very exciting”, she said afterwards.
This is the second appearance for the Dublin, Georgia native in Jackson. Last year, she won a talent preliminary and her victory tonight increases her chances of being named to the top 10 at Saturday night’s finals.
Miss Southeast Tennessee Natalee Beeler also competed in swimsuit. Among those featured in talent tonight were Miss Chattanooga Alisha Williams, Miss Cherokee Trail Lisa Saalwaechter, Miss Metropolitan Lindsay Moffett and Miss Tennessee Valley Robyn Forbess. Brooks was in the evening wear and on-stage interview group.
The final night of preliminaries will take place Friday night. The new Miss Tennessee will win a $17,000 scholarship and represent the state at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City in mid-September.
Autumn Wiggins won swimsuit competition
photo by Wendy King