elyse umemoto named runner-up in miss america

This weekend, the nation watched with great awe and admiration as Kirsten Hanglund was crowed Miss America 2008. Ooooh. Okay, not a whole lot of awe and admiration, as I imagine most of you probably don't give a crap. Understandable. However, it's worth noting that the one the pageant's runner-ups was Miss Washington, 23-year-old Elyse Umemoto: Wapato's Elyse Umemoto is runner-up in Miss America competition.

According to the story, she's got a pretty interesting ethnic background—one-quarter American Indian (Yakama), as well as German, Hispanic and Japanese. If she had won, she would have been the first Miss Washington to become Miss America. She would also have been the first Native American to wear the crown. And the first Hispanic American. As well as the second Asian American (the first was Angela Perez Baraquio in 2001). Alas, she was just a runner-up. More here (with video): Miss Washington comes close