In August 2007, Elisabeth Oliphint of Montgomery, Alabama, and Madison Hardy of Philadelphia, Mississippi, met as neighbors in their freshman dorm at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Two months later, they became pledge sisters in the largest Phi Mu (Theta) class ever recruited. Little did they know they would share a sisterhood bond besides Love, Honor, Truth just six years later. 

Style, Success, Scholarship, and Service is the new bond Elisabeth and Madison share, and in June they will carry fundamentals learned through their Phi Mu journey to the Miss Tennessee stage, in Jackson. 

Elisabeth was college sophomore when she won her first ticket to Miss Tennessee in 2009, as Miss Athens of the South. After three years of “retirement”, she’s back as Miss Music City 2013. During her time as a Phi Mu, Elisabeth was her chapter’s Community Service Chair and Greek Week Co-Chair, and was honored with the Phi Mu Community Service Award, Belmont Greek Goddess (Greek Week MVP) 2009-2011, Phi Delta Theta Sweetheart, Phi Mu Sisterhood Award, and Phi Mu Top New Member Award. 

Her love for community service earned Elisabeth the privilege of becoming a “Big” for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and in turn she has promoted this organization as her platform: Big Brothers Big Sisters – The Importance of a Positive Influence. Elisabeth, who works at TVV Capital, a private equity firm in downtown Nashville, is also an executive member of the Nashville Symphony’s Young Professionals Board, a member of the Special Olympics of Tennessee Young Professionals Board, an Ambassador for the Nashville Jr. Chamber, a member of the Troubadour Society, and a participant in committees for many charity events around Nashville.  

Madison, recently named Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival 2013 (better known as Queen Bean 2013), is making her first appearance at Miss Tennessee. She spent the past year getting in shape and losing fifty pounds, and her platform is geared toward promoting living a healthy lifestyle. Tennessee: Get Up & Go! is an initiative Madison created in 2011 to encourage Tennesseans to find ways to get active in their communities. An official Facebook page and Twitter account have been set up to help make people aware of community resources and activities, and Madison plans to spend the next year organizing events such as 5K races and family field days. 

While at Belmont University, Madison was the 2011 Homecoming Queen, President of Belmont Service Corps, and a member of Order of Omega Greek Honor Society, and had eight different internships at businesses within the entertainment industry, including Sony Music Nashville. Madison, who has been working for MTV Networks in the licensing department since August 2012, sings with The Respectables, a Nashville-based wedding and corporate events band.

Elisabeth and Madison should represent Nashville and Phi Mu beautifully. They constantly motivate and cheer each other on, they hope one of them will bring home the Miss Tennessee crown and represent their state at Miss America 2013. 

More about the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant

The Miss Tennessee scholarship pageant is a preliminary competition for the Miss America Organization. The Miss America Scholarship Pageant is the largest scholarship program for young women in the United States, awarding more than $45 million a year at the local, state, and national level. Each year, more than eighty thousand young ladies participate in local preliminary pageants leading to Miss America.

Edited by fourpoints. Photo: Madison Hardy and Elisabeth Oliphint after accepting their bids to Phi Mu (Theta) on Bid Day in 2007. Photo provided by Elisabeth Ivey Oliphint