Mary Therese "Tyger" Friel (born February 10, 1959) is an American model, teacher, activist, businesswoman and beauty pageant titleholder who held the title Miss USA 1979.

Friel later represented the United States in the Miss Universe pageant held in Perth, Western Australia in July the same year.

She briefly travelled with singer Julio Iglesias and was invited by Mick Jagger (of the Rolling Stones) to his anniversary concert.

Her reign coincided with the murder of John Lennon, which occurred while she was attending a birthday event for singer Ben Vereen.

After passing on her crown to Shawn Weatherly of South Carolina in May 1980, Friel returned to study, attending Fordham University in New York City.

In 1983 Friel decided to take a break from the "high life" and returned to her parents' new hometown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, becoming a teacher at a local junior college and resuming her studies at Villanova University.