FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- After Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields won the 2017 Miss America pageant on Sunday night (Sept. 11), a fellow University of Arkansas student has been named to fill the Miss Arkansas 2016 role.
Miss University of Arkansas Savannah Skidmore was the first runner up in the Miss Arkansas pageant on July 9. She will take the crown and assume the duties of Miss Arkansas, as Shields takes on the role of Miss America 2017. Shields cannot hold both the state and national title.
Skidmore is from Calico Rock and is a senior at the U of A, where she is majoring in broadcast journalism. Her platform was "Speak Up Now: Suicide Prevention and Awareness." She also won the preliminary award for lifestyle and fitness in the swimsuit competition.
As Miss Arkansas, Skidmore will serve as the Arkansas spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network and the Arkansas Children's Hospital, and will promote her personal platform and the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant.