Before Ivy Harrington ever walked across the Miss New Jersey USA stage, she was logging minutes in at an HBCU basketball program, helping Morgan State compete year after year. The former Lady Bear turned pageant queen was crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2025 earlier this month, adding another chapter to her story of persistence and HBCU excellence.
Harrington played four seasons at the HBCU from 2013 to 2017, appearing in 114 games and starting 26. She totaled 457 career points and averaged 16.1 minutes per game over her career. Her freshman season was her strongest statistically, averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists across 30 games, 20 of them starts. She finished her career with 261 rebounds, 101 steals, and 185 made field goals.
A 5’7” guard out of Neptune Township, New Jersey, Harrington was known for her hustle and team-first mentality. That same drive carried over to her life after basketball.
“Our family dynamic changed drastically after my dad died,” she told NJ Advance Media. “And trying to navigate the world during a global pandemic while grieving made it that much harder.”
Harrington began competing in pageants in 2021 and faced multiple setbacks before winning the crown in 2025. “The pageant world is such a niche space to be in,” she said. “You have to be mentally tough to open yourself up to be critiqued and judged.”
Off the stage, Harrington works in education as a social media manager for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District and leads a mentorship program called MVP—Most Valuable Pivot—focused on helping young women in sports. “I want to teach female athletes to become the architects of their identity outside their athletic jersey,” she said.
Now, as she prepares for Miss USA 2025, Harrington is once again representing her state—and her HBCU—with pride.