November 30, 2025
Former Morgan State basketball star is still processing her rapid rise in the beauty pageant world.
Former Morgan State women’s basketball player Ivy Harrington says she’s still in awe after being crowned Miss New Jersey and placing first runner-up in the national Miss USA competition.
Last month, Harrington added a major milestone to her career, placing first runner-up at the Miss USA Competition behind Nebraska’s Audry Eckhert. The achievement caps off a whirlwind year that began with her being crowned Miss New Jersey in April.
Coming from a strong athletic background, Harrington, 31, says she’s still surprised by her rise in the pageant world.
“I think if anything, it just feels like an out-of-body experience,” Harrington told The Baltimore Sun. “Being a titleholder really does come natural to me. I’ve always been a really personable type of person, and I really love to communicate and just make people feel seen and really heard.”
Harrington said she’s still adjusting to her rapid rise in pageantry and expects it won’t fully sink in until she crowns the next Miss New Jersey.
“It is the most shocking and astounding thing that I have to really come to terms with,” she said. “My mom and I joke all the time. I don’t even know when I’m going to realize it. I think maybe once I crown the next girl, that’s when it’ll all sink in, but until then, I think everybody else is more convinced than I am.”
While moving from sports to pageantry is uncommon, former Bears coach Edward Davis Jr., who served as assistant and head coach during Harrington’s time at Morgan State before retiring in March, said her journey from basketball to beauty competitions is not surprising to those who know her.
“I think she fulfilled all of her dreams in terms of her journey,” Davis said. “She wanted to be that person in the spotlight and in a positive way. I think she found that spotlight as a person who could represent her state in beauty pageants. It really fell into place in terms of what she was about and what she did well.”
Harrington was inspired to enter pageants after seeing Deshauna Barber and Kara McCullough, who both represented the District of Columbia, win Miss USA in 2016 and 2017. She was particularly intrigued that they both graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, with Barber attending Virginia State and McCullough South Carolina State.
“It sparked my interest because I saw two African-American women win such a prestigious title,” she said. “… I saw that so many women who were on the path that I was hoping to walk on — journalism, hosting, and producing — they got their start in pageantry. Diane Sawyer, Oprah Winfrey, Giuliana Rancic, Olivia Culpo. So it just kind of sparked this curiosity.”
Now holding her title, Harrington plans to focus on her workshop, Most Valuable Pivot, which helps female athletes develop identities beyond sports. She also hopes to create a platform that blends athletics, lifestyle, and pageantry, signaling her readiness to eventually step back from the pageant world.
“Other than being Miss USA, first runner-up really is a nice way to go out,” she said. “So I think I’m OK with just being the one of three women from New Jersey who have placed that high.”
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