American wins Miss Universe

LAS VEGAS — An American university student is the new Miss Universe, defeating contestants from six continents to bring the crown back to the U.S. after a drought of more than a decade.

Twentyyear-old Olivia Culpo won the title Wednesday night at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Boston University sophomore’s coronation ends a long losing spell for the U.S. in the competition co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC. An American had not won the Miss Universe title since 1997.

No one was more surprised than Culpo’s family when told them she was entering the Miss Rhode Island contest last year.

She won that contest in a rented $20 dress with a hole in it and then began working out, dieting and studying current events to compete for Miss USA.