Madeleine Gwin, smiles and gives a thumbs up as she is crowned Mrs. Alabama America on March 28.

A former Russellville High School student has been named Mrs. Alabama America, just four years after being crowned Miss Alabama USA.

Madeleine Mitchell Gwin won the Mrs. Alabama America competition March 28 at the Indian Springs Theatre in Birmingham, Ala.

“I really wanted to do this ever since I won the Miss Alabama competition in 2011,” Gwin said. “I wanted to win both competitions and represent the state.”

She said the Mrs. Alabama America competition was similar to the Miss Alabama USA that she won in 2011.

“I will be doing some of the same things I did after I was crowned Miss Alabama such as touring around to different schools and coming to local events and talking to students and telling my story,” she said. “Only this time I am Mrs. Alabama—married and a mother and a lot of adventures under my belt.”

Gwin got married to her husband Ryan in July of 2013. Shortly before the adventure of marriage began for her and her husband the two got to participate in a different kind of adventure.

In February of 2013, as the couple were engaged to be married, they competed on the television show, “Get Out Alive,” with the popular outdoorsman and host, Bear Grylls.

“We spent over a month in New Zealand out in the woods, out in nature, just roughing it,” she said. “I spent over a month without a shower, not brushing my teeth, eating bugs—it was crazy. But I definitely couldn’t have done it without my husband.”

Gwin said she and her husband initially auditioned for the show in Atlanta.

“We went down there and auditioned in front of some people from the show,” she said. “Then we got called back for a second audition in front of the producers and that was out in Los Angeles. They flew us out there and then they liked us I guess and they flew us back out there before we headed down to New Zealand for the show.

“At first I thought it would be a piece of cake because we got there and spent two days in the hotel. I thought we might just go out and film our adventures and then come back to the hotel, but it ended up being one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.”

Madeleine Mitchell Gwin is a Russellville High School graduate and a graduate of the University of Alabama. She will be representing the state as Mrs. Alabama America.