Miss Illinois crowned at Marion pageant

The Miss Illinois Pageant was held Saturday night at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center, with Decatur's Breana Bagley taking the crown. 

Bagley, 26, previously attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She competed under the title of Miss Land of Lincoln, and finished ahead of 27 other candidates for the title. 

Bagley will compete in the Miss America event in January. She'll also tour the state for the next year and speak on her community initiative to battle pancreatic cancer and rare diseases. 

Bagley also receives at least $10,000 in scholarships. 

Miss Heart of Illinois McKenna Vereeke of Edwardsville came in second place. 



(Photo:  Miss Illinois Scholarship Organization)