Miss Utah Noelia Voigt Wins Miss USA 2023

A new Miss USA has been crowned!

Miss Utah Noelia Voigt was named Miss USA 2023 following Friday's competition at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.

Voigt beat out runner-up Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz and second runner-up Miss Wisconsin  Alexis Loomans for the coveted crown. Morgan Romano, who took over the Miss USA 2022 title after original winner R'Bonney Gabriel won Miss Universe, presented Voigt with her crown.

"The past seven years of my pageant journey have all led me to this moment," Voigt wrote on Instagram days before the pageant. "I usually have a bit of nerves before interview, but right now, I feel completely at peace. I can’t wait to get into that room, connect with the judges, and show them 100% of who Noelia is!"

In July, Voigt reflected on becoming the first Venezuelan-American named Miss Utah.

"I am honored to be the first Venezuelan-American woman to hold the title of Miss Utah USA, and I am truly looking forward to breaking barriers and bridging the gap between communities by being able to speak Spanish and connect with the large Hispanic population in Utah," she wrote on Instagram.

This year’s pageant saw Laylah Rose as the new Miss USA president. 

Rose, a fashion designer and CEO of the VIP Pageantry television network, spoke to Insider ahead of Friday’s competition to discuss some new changes.

The new president vowed that moving forward, the swimsuit round, evening-gown round, and interview round the women were judged on would no longer equally represent 33 percent of their final vote.

Now, the interview round counts as 50 percent while the other two categories have dropped down to 25. 

"I came in and I wanted to really highlight the delegates as individuals," Rose told the outlet. "Just like getting a job or career, you have to interview in order to be accepted. That, to me, is the most important piece of the organization, and I wanted to highlight that."  

"We're not just parading onstage and we're not just wearing heels," she continued. "We're actually out there supporting our platforms and making waves and breaking glass ceilings in the philanthropy world that we want to be in. I think that component has not been highlighted as much, and that is what I love to bring." 

Another update is that the final question won’t be political. “For that last 30 seconds that she gets onstage — let her have her moment." 

The presiding president has also implemented the use of Tally Genie — a voting system that is the "premier tabulation and auditing software solution for the pageant industry." 

In 2022, several contestants claimed the pageant was rigged in favor of Miss Texas R'Bonney Gabriel — the first Filipino-American woman to be crowned Miss USA.

"The current allegations are based on perception, and not the truth," Gabriel told PEOPLE in a statement. "I would never want to enter a competition that was rigged."

The controversy continued after Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe 2022. At the time, the organization denied the rigging allegations and suggested the "absurd" claims "distract from the incredible milestones our organization and the delegates experienced" over the weekend, according to Today.

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Speaking with PEOPLE after the competition, Gabriel said she felt "fully prepared for anything coming my way" as Miss Universe, including haters.

"This is an opportunity to show the world [that] even when negativity comes your way — I think we all experience a little internet hate here and there — to not let it get to you. And I think that this is a great opportunity for me to set an example," she said.

The Texas native also shared that she hoped her journey to the crown inspired others "to believe in themselves" and follow their dreams.

"It took me three years to get to this point, of working every single day non-stop," Gabriel said. "And I just want to share the story about what goes on behind the scenes and how you can achieve something that seemed so impossible at one point."