Miss Nevada was crowned the new Miss USA on Sunday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Reuters noted that Nia Sanchez, who is a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, beat out the competition at the 63rd edition of the pageant.
During the three-hour live telecast, the 24-year-old beauty and her fellow state titleholders competed in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions before the question-and-answer segment.
The International Business Times reported that Sanchez was asked about sexual assault on college campuses by judge Rumor Willis, who is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.
"More awareness (of the issue) is very important so that women can learn to protect themselves," Sanchez said. “You need to be confident and be able to defend yourself ... That's something we need to start to implement for a lot of women.”
Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Iowa and North Dakota were the five finalists who also made it to the interview competition.
Last year’s Miss USA, Erin Brady, crowned Sanchez, who will compete in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.