The event featured 51 contestants, each representing one of the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia.
Marsh is the inaugural active-duty service member to secure the Miss America title.
In May 2023, Ms. Marsh became Miss Colorado shortly before graduating from the Air Force Academy with a physics degree.
She dutifully became a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force and pursued a master's in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School.
She's focusing on using artificial intelligence to detect pancreatic cancer.
‘For me, it's great because I need to stay physically fit and in the gym for the military, so it already coincides with pageant training,’ she said.