Luverne native Summer Waters was among 16 students at the University of Alabama who competed for the title of Miss University of Alabama on Saturday. While Waters did not place in the competition, she did represent her community well during the event.

The pageant was hosted at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. The Miss UA competition is an official preliminary event for Miss Alabama in the Miss America organization.

Waters is majoring in communications and sports media. Her community service initiative for the competition centers around Girls on the Run. She is a graduate of Luverne High School and served as Crenshaw County 2022 Distinguished Young Woman and Miss LHS 2021.

Along with waters, this year’s candidates included Hannah Adams of Birmingham, Kaylie Grace Bitterman of Dacula, Georgia, Mara Eva Cline of Braselton, Georgia, Rylie Dewley of Grand Blanc, Michigan. Lydia Fisher of Wapello, Iowa, J-Belle Kimbrell of Dallas, Texas, Marissa Luna of Birmingham, Imani Muse of Chicago, Illinois, Emilia Oblites of Novato, California, Grayce Pennington of Caledonia, Mississippi, Olivia Smith of Birmingham, Abby Sosa of Cullman, Ruby Tilghman of Panama City, Florida, Christine Underwood of Charlotte, North Carolina and Chloe Yates of Louisville, Kentucky.

Luna won the competition, becoming Miss University of Alabama. Her court is composed of Fisher as third runner-up, Adams as first runner-up, Thigpen as second runner-up and Sosa as fourth runner-up. Luna, a sophomore at UA, was crowned by Miss UA 2022-2023 Ibby Dickson.

The Miss UA competition, sponsored by The University of Alabama National Alumni Association and FATE – Future Alumni for Tradition and Excellence, provides a platform for candidates where they can share their passion projects, talent and intelligence and has done so for more than 48 years.

The woman selected as Miss University of Alabama will receive a full-tuition scholarship for her year of service and numerous other gifts and financial aid scholarships from numerous donors.

To learn more, visit the Miss University of Alabama website at missuniversityofalabama.org.

The is part of The University of Alabama System, Alabama’s flagship university shaping a better world through its teaching, research and service. With nearly 200 degree programs, the university provides online and on-campus experiences and more than 30 research centers.