Pageant News Bureau - Sarah Polk

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u

A better title than queen

Matthew and Sarah Stehno

It started with a random selection. At the 1994 Miss Teen USA Pageant in Biloxi, Miss., two girls from far-flung states were assigned as roommates. Sarah Polk of Idaho and Nicole Bigham of Pennsylvania. A bubbly blonde from the Northwest and a statuesque brunette from the Northeast. They began as strangers, as rivals, but they became friends for life.

Sarah Polk (left) and Nicole Bigham

Babe in the woods

Even their mothers became friends. In 1999, Kerri Thoreson of Idaho and Judy Amoroso of Pennsylvania joined the fun in Shreveport as their daughters took part in their 5-year "class reunion." (Class Motto: "Even more than '94, we are fine in '99!"). In 2002, Ms. Polk, Ms. Thoreson and Ms. Amoroso journeyed to Gary, Ind., to cheer on Ms. Bigham in the Miss USA Pageant.

The moms: Judy Amoroso (left) and Kerri Thoreson

Then, on Sept. 23, 2004, a full decade after the battle in Biloxi, there was another "roommate selection." And this time it was definitely not at random. As the sun set over Utah's spectacular Mill Creek Canyon, Sarah Polk took Matthew Stehno to be her lawfully wedded husband. The bubbly blonde became a blushing bride.

And the statuesque brunette was there, shedding just a few happy tears. And there were two misty-eyed moms. It was a wedding and a reunion and the start of something truly beautiful.

The couple honeymooned in Hawaii, and will live in Utah, where the new Mrs. Stehno is based as a flight attendant. PNB, speaking for the pageant world, wishes them all happiness.

The young couple had their rehearsal dinner at the cafe where they met in 2003

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u