New teen queen: Miss SC Teen 2022 is crowned. Here’s the winner

Torturous moments of anticipation hung over the stage at the Township Auditorium in Columbia Saturday night, as Miss Clemson Teen Piper Holt clutched onto her fellow competitors.

In the end, it was Holt, a 17-year-old from Piedmont, who claimed the crown and the title of Miss South Carolina Teen 2022.

Thirty-four teenage contestants were narrowed down to 10 finalists for Saturday night’s pageant finale.

Miss South Carolina Teen usually is crowned the night before the Miss South Carolina pageant, but because of the 85th anniversary year, the organizers of the pageant wanted to announce the teen queen on live television. Miss South Carolina will be crowned later Saturday night.

As the new Miss S.C. Teen, Holt receives $10,000 and will go on to compete in the Miss America OutStanding Teen competition. Holt succeeds last year’s Miss S.C. Teen, Dabria Aguilar.

Behind Holt, these were the top finishers in the competition:

• 1st runner up — Miss Greenville County Teen, Abigail Kate Fowler, 16, of Greenville

• 2nd runner up — Miss North Charleston Teen, Savannah McAlister, 16, of Hanahan

• 3rd runner up — Miss Dorchester County Teen, Brennan Wolfe, 16, of Summerville

• 4th runner up — Miss Spartanburg Teen, Mallory Alverson, 15, of Spartanburg