Mary Katherine Fechtel
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Born | July 10, 1995 [1] |
|---|---|
| Education | University of Florida |
| Title(s) | Junior Miss Leesburg 2007 Miss Orlando's Outstanding Teen 2010 Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2010 Miss University of Florida 2015 Miss Florida 2015 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss America 2016 |
Mary Katherine Fechtel (born July 10, 1995) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Leesburg, Florida, who was crowned Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2010 and Miss Florida 2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015 and placed in the top 10.
Contents
Pageant career
Early pageants
Fechtel began competing in beauty pageants as a child. The first pageant she won was the Junior Miss Leesburg title in 2007 at age 12.[2][3]
At age 14, Fechtel won the Miss Orlando's Outstanding Teen 2010 title and was one of 34 competitors in Dade City, Florida, for the Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2010 crown.[4] With a competition talent of lyrical dance to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel, Fechtel won the title on April 24, 2010.[5] She went on to compete for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011 title in August 2010 and won the Miss Photogenic Award but was not a finalist for the national crown.[6]
Miss Florida 2015
On February 16, 2015, Fechtel won the Miss University of Florida 2015 title over 20 other contestants for the crown.[7][8] She was crowned by the Miss University of Florida 2014 titleholder, her older sister Elizabeth Fechtel.[8]
Entering the state pageant in June 2015 as one of 47 finalists, Fechtel's Miss Florida 2015 pageant competition talent was a lyrical dance to the song "Listen" by Beyoncé.[3][9][10] Her platform is "The Worth Campaign: Human Trafficking Awareness and Vulnerability".[11]
Fechtel won the competition on Saturday, June 20, 2015, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Florida titleholder Victoria Cowen. She earned more than $18,000 in scholarship money and other prizes from the state pageant.[10][12] As Miss Florida, her activities include public appearances across the state of Florida.[13]
Vying for Miss America
Fechtel was Florida's representative at the Miss America 2016 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2015.[11][14][15] She won a preliminary swimsuit competition, earning a $1,000 "lifestyle and fitness" scholarship award.[16][17] In the televised finale on September 13, 2015, she danced to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" during the talent portion of the competition.[18] Fechtel placed in the Top 10 finalists and earned a $7,000 scholarship award.[17]
Sisterly parallels
Mary Katherine's older sister, Elizabeth Fechtel, succeeded her as Miss Orlando's Outstanding Teen 2011 and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2011.[19][20] (Elizabeth went on to win the Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2012 crown.)[8][21] She was crowned Miss University of Florida 2014 and was succeeded by Mary Katherine in 2015.[7][8] Elizabeth was crowned Miss Florida in 2014,[13] just as Mary Katherine would be in 2015,[22] but Elizabeth was demoted to first runner-up after just six days when an error tabulating judges' scores was discovered.[3][8][23]
Personal life and education
Fechtel is a native of Leesburg, Florida, and a 2012 graduate of First Academy High School in Leesburg.[4][24] Her father is Vince Fechtel and her mother is Dixie Fechtel.[4][8][9]
Fechtel is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida where she studies family, youth, and community sciences.[3][7][14] While a student at Florida, Fechtel became a member of the Kappa Delta sorority.[18][25] She withdrew from classes for the duration of her reign to fulfill her duties as Miss Florida.[18]
References
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External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Miss Florida 2015 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2010 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Fechtel |
