O'Dell was born in Sumter , South Carolina , and moved to Myrtle Beach as an infant . She has one sister . After her 1984 graduation from the now-defunct Coastal Academy High School , she graduated with a '' summa cum laude '' bachelor 's degree in marketing from Clemson University in 1990 . At Clemson , O'Dell joined Kappa Kappa Gamma . She won the Miss South Carolina pageant in 1987 and represented the state at Miss America 1988 , where she won a preliminary swimsuit award . In 1990 , in the Miss South Carolina USA pageant , she finished 1st runner-up to Gina Tolleson , who became the 1st runner-up in Miss USA 1990 before winning Miss World that year
Miss America 1988
Miss America 1988
Nancy O'Dell