COLUMBUS (AP) — A second Miss Georgia has been crowned in two days.

One day after winning the title Saturday night at the annual pageant in Columbus, Gwinnett County school teacher Kristina Higgins relinquished the post, now filled by the first runner-up, Emily Cook, a Marietta law student.

Higgins said she stepped down because her responsibilities as a middle school would not leave her time she would need to serve as Miss Georgia.

Cook was informed Sunday that she was the winner after Higgins turned down the title.

The 22-year-old Cook, representing Cobb County, is a recent graduate of the University of Miami and had been accepted into University of Georgias Law School. Instead she’ll be competing for the Miss America crown in January in Las Vegas.

The Miss Georgia Competition is the longest continuously running state competition within the Miss America Organization.

The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local pageants made available more than $45 illion in cash and scholarship assistance. For more information, go to www.MissGa.org and www.MissAmerica.org or visit us on FaceBook: Miss Georgia.