Who is Ivy Harrington? Former Morgan State Basketball player crowned Miss New Jersey 2025

Ivy Harrington was recently crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2025. While Harrington aced every challenge that came her way to reach the top of the contest, she was not always into modeling and pageants. Instead, she is a former Morgan State Basketball player.

Harrington was born on November 2, 1994, and hails from Neptune, New Jersey. She attended Neptune High School and later became an important member of Morgan State University's basketball team in Baltimore, Maryland.

According to the official website of the Morgan State Bears, Ivy Harrington was a two-sport letterwinner in basketball and track in high school. She further lettered in basketball for four years and in track for three years. She was an important team member and helped the squad to several championships and tournaments, including two Shore Conference championships, four B-North titles, two Group III New Jersey State championships, as well as a tournament title.

Harrington was also an honor student and became a member of Jumpstart Communications and the African Student Union. Back in 2024, Harrington took to her social media to share glimpses of coaching a women's basketball team.

Sharing a compilation of clips, she wrote,

"Girlhood 101: Be who you needed when you were younger. May the girls of today conquer and thrive as the women of tomorrow. Happy International Women’s Day."

She then signed the caption as "Coach Harrington."

While Harrington was in sports for most years of her life, her passion shifted towards participating in pageants.

Ivy Harrington reveals why she chose a career in pageants

On Sunday, Ivy Harrington was crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2025. She is now all set to represent the state at the Miss USA pageant's 74th edition. The pageant further selects a candidate who would represent the USA at the Miss Universe competition.

According to nj.com, Harrington decided to participate in pageants after she lost her father in 2019. She allegedly saw two Black women winning local titles and found herself being passionate about the contests. As the journey to achieving her dreams was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, she began in 2021, and her hard work has now paid off.

"Our family dynamic changed drastically after my dad died."

However, the "pageant world" was not easy to deal with, as it demanded strong will and hard work. Ivy Harrington said,

"The pageant world is such a niche space to be in. You have to be mentally tough to open yourself up to be critiqued and judged."

"It can leave you very vulnerable and questioning things about yourself that you would never have thought of," the Miss New Jersey USA 2025 added.

Despite achieving new heights in the pageant industry, Ivy Harrington also works as a social media manager at the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. She has been inspiring women to pursue athletics.

She says she wants to "teach female athletes to become the architects of their identity outside their athletic jersey."

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