Gordon couple celebrates granddaughter being crowned Miss USA 2025
GORDON, Neb. – When Miss Nebraska Audrey Eckert was crowned Miss USA 2025 on Friday night, a Gordon couple in the crowd could hardly believe their eyes. Gary and Joyce Ruse watched from the audience in Reno, Nevada, as their granddaughter achieved what she’d dreamed of since childhood.
“We were so amazed and excited,” said Gary. “This has been her dream of a lifetime since she was nine years old. She’s worked hard at it for all these years. We’ve traveled all over watching her at different pageants — Florida, Texas, Nashville — and this is the culmination of all her work.”
At 23 years old, Eckert became only the second Miss Nebraska in history to win the Miss USA title. For her grandparents, the victory brought both pride and a touch of bittersweet emotion.
“It’s very exciting, but there are also mixed emotions,” said Joyce. “We’ve always been so close, and we know our life is going to change drastically because she won’t be home as much. She’s not going to be our little girl anymore. She’s going to be traveling all over the world making appearances.”
The couple says they’ve seen firsthand how dedicated Eckert has been—spending countless hours each day training with different coaches in speech, walking, and physical fitness.
“She worked really hard for this one. We’re so proud. She deserved it,” said Joyce.
But more than the crown, the Ruses say they’re proud of how Eckert has used her platform to give back. She’s been hosting weekly meetings with young women to teach them how to stay safe online.
“We’re proud of that because it’s such a big problem, and she’s so pleased to now not only help people in Nebraska, but across the country,” said Joyce.
Next week, Eckert will fly to Thailand to prepare for the Miss Universe competition on November 21. She’s a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, specializing in marketing with a minor in advertising and public relations. She was also the captain of the Husker Cheer Squad.
“She’s very caring, very personable and thinks of others before herself,” said Gary. “She was an excellent student, and now she’s mentoring 500 little girls in dance and cheer.”
Joyce’s sister Carol also made the trip from Gordon to Reno to cheer her on.
“We got there on Tuesday and were able to see her win the preliminary swimsuit competition on Wednesday,” said Gary. “We were all anxious as we watched the finals. We thought she did extremely well, but you never know. When they called her name as Miss USA, we were on cloud nine.”
