On January 23, 2021, Mary Claire Cornett, from Purvis, Mississippi, became the 40th young lady to have the distinct honor and privilege of wearing the crown of Miss Rodeo Mississippi. She will represent Mississippi at all Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) events statewide and abroad, for a period of one year, and will compete for the title of Miss Rodeo America, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada, December 2021. Mary Claire won all divisions of the pageant (Horsemanship, Appearance, and Personality) as well as Most Photogenic.

 

A 2014 graduate of Presbyterian Christian Academy, Mary Claire participated in a wide range of activities throughout junior high and high school including 4-H activities, competing in Equestrian events, and pom squad. She obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Foreign Language from Mississippi State University in 2018. Mary Claire has worked as a Mississippi Licensed Health and Life Insurance Producer since 2019.  

 

Being both an Equestrian competitor and enthusiast, Mary Claire was an active competitor throughout junior high, high school and college in the Mississippi Quarter Horse Youth Association (MQHYA), the American Quarter Horse Youth Association (AQHYA), and the Mississippi State University (MSU) Equestrian Team. During her competitive years, she garnished several awards and titles, including: MQHYA Reserve All Around High Point, AQHYA World Cup team, Dixie National Champion, and Top 5 at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Champion Show.

            

When Mary Claire is not promoting the sport of rodeo, she enjoys riding and showing horses, baking, and coaching the Lamar County 4-H Horse Judging team. She feels that it is an honor to serve as the spokesperson for professional rodeo in Mississippi. Mary Claire would like to use her title of Miss Rodeo Mississippi to promote rodeo throughout the Hospitality State and nationally by sharing her avid interest in people, animals, and western heritage. She is excited about the opportunity to serve as Mississippi’s First Lady of Professional Rodeo and plans to represent her state in the upmost regard wherever the title may take her.

 

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