Miss Portland, Alexis Mather, crowned Miss Oregon

Alexis Mather, Miss Portland, was crowned Miss Oregon on Saturday night, July 2, in Seaside, at the annual Miss Oregon pageant.

She will compete in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, N.J., on Sept. 11.

The 21-year-old is a junior at PSU, majoring in psychology and minoring in music; she hopes to eventually open her own practice as a therapist.

Mather was named to the top 11 near the beginning of the pageant, and wowed the audience with a bravura performance of Nessun Dorma, an aria from Puccini's Turandot.

When she was named to the top seven, she participated in the on-stage question segment, where she was asked if she were to moderate a debate between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, what would be her first question to each of them.

Mather said she would ask Trump what his intent is for the American people, because she wants to make sure he has the peoples best interests at heart, rather than just his own; she added that she would ask Clinton about transparency, as she wants to make sure the country has a trustworthy president.

Then the countdown began: Audri Rousseau, Miss Marion-Polk County, was named fourth runner-up; Rachel Warren, Miss Douglas County, was third runner-up; Veronica Norris, Miss Southern Jewel, was second runner-up; Jennifer Albertson, Miss Cascade, was first runner-up; and Mather was crowned Miss Oregon, earning a $10,000 scholarship.

Portland resident Emma Alsept Ellis, 16, was second runner-up for Miss Oregons Outstanding Teen, earning her a $1,000 scholarship. Ellis, a student at St. Marys High School and Grant High School, was named the interview overall winner and the overall evening wear and on-stage interview winner, earning her $500 more in scholarship money.

Salem resident Abigail Hoppe, 17, won Miss Oregons Outstanding Teen and will compete on the national stage in Orlando, Fla., in early August.