Miss Utah County Whitney Merrifield is now Miss Utah 2009 after being crowned in a ceremony late Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Her platform is "Be the Change Utah -- Creating Unity and Breaking Stereotypes" and will also serve as the official spokeswoman for the state Child Protection Registry, which is designed to protect families from adult-oriented material, according to a Miss Utah news release.

Merrifield is a Brigham Young University student, and is working toward a degree in communications. She hopes to become a broadcast journalist, according to the news release.

Along with the crown, Merrifield also won a $10,000 scholarship. In preliminary rounds, she won a talent award for her piano performance of Rachmaninoff's "Moment Musical in E Minor," according to the release.

Utah County was also represented in the runners-up, Miss Provo, Allie Edgington as first runner-up and Miss Springville/Mapleton, Hannah Wright as second runner-up. Edgington won a $3,000 scholarship and Wright took home a $1,500 scholarship, according to the release. Third runner-up was Miss Cache Valley, Tayler Williams and fourth runner-up was Miss Lehi, Emily Daniels.

The remaining five contestants in the top 10 were Miss Salt Lake County, Whitney Wright; Miss Salem, Brooke Christensen; Miss Davis County, Katie Angerbauer; Miss Legacy, Sarah Pettit; and Miss UVU, Lauren Burton.

Merrifield now goes on to the Miss America Pageant.