Alaina Bergsma arrived back in Eugene Monday afternoon from a whirlwind two weeks in Las Vegas, where she represented Oregon in the Miss USA pageant.  She didn’t waste any time getting back to her routine; Bergsma took a final exam Tuesday morning. She says her pageant days are likely over now, but she’ll remember her experience at Miss USA forever.

Bergsma didn’t place in the top sixteen, but she did walk away with a huge honor, voted “Miss Photogenic” by the judges.  She says most of the other girls had taken time off to focus on the competition, while she was juggling a full academic schedule, and volleyball commitments.  Some advice from her coach came in handy during the big show.  Bergsma explained, “Coach Moore always says, if you don’t feel something, you don’t care enough.  So, I don’t know if it was just nerves, or being really excited for it finally happening.  It felt a lot like a volleyball match for me.  You know, when your heart’s racing, you’re kind of trying to control it, but you’re excited, and you’re excited to perform.”

Performing under pressure is something Bergsma is used to.  She says her experience on the court helped her handle the stress of the pageant. 

Now, she’ll turn her focus to volleyball.  She has one more season of eligibility to play for the Ducks, this fall.  The team is looking toward a national championship next year.  After that, Bergsma hopes to play professionally, and has her eyes on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

(via UO Athlete, Miss Oregon USA returns to Eugene - Breaking News, Local News, Local Weather, Local Sports

More photos of Alaina » http://www.pageantupdate.info/missusa2012/delegates/oregon.htm