Miss Michigan 2011 crowned

Elizabeth Wertenberger, who competed as Miss Southwest, was crowned Miss Michigan 2011 on Saturday night at the Frauenthal Center in Muskegon. Elizabeth Hawthorne, a former Grand Haven-area resident, was named third runner-up. She also won a $1,000 Miss America Community Service Award. Hawthorne, 20, now lives in Clarkston and was named Miss Oakland County last summer. Kelly Owes, Miss West Michigan, was first runner-up; and Emily Kieliszewski, Miss Tip of the Mitt, was second runner-up.

Mark Brooky

Muskegon

Jun 19, 2011

Winning the Miss Michigan crown means Wertenberger, who won $10,000 in scholarship money, will compete for the Miss America title in Las Vegas later this year. Her talent is musical theater dance and her platform is volunteerism.

Wertenber earned a degree in design this year at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids. The native of Dundee said she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age 13, a condition that is in remission now, but puts her at risk of organ failure and joint degeneration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.