Published on November 16, 2003 at 6 p.m. by Mary Wimberley  

Kristen Howard, a sophomore interior design major from Inverness, Fla., was crowned Miss Â鶹¹û¶³ 2004 Friday, Nov. 14. A vocalist, Howard won the talent award for her presentation of a jazz selection, and also won the swimsuit competition. Her pageant platform is women in crisis situations.

Miss Howard, age 19, will represent Â鶹¹û¶³ in the Miss Alabama pageant in June.

Finalists were: Melinda Toole of Birmingham, first runner-up; Erica Jewel Littleton of Birmingham, second runner-up; Abby Milner of Bogart, Ga., third runner-up; and Sarah Frances Penn of Hoover, fourth runner-up.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Â鶹¹û¶³ is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Â鶹¹û¶³ enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Â鶹¹û¶³ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.