Baylee is the 9th Miss AL USA winner in the past decade who had competed in a Miss USA or Teen USA state pageant prior to her win. In Alabama, the last time a Miss winner had competed in Teen the year previously was Rebecca Moore in 2007 (first runner-up at Miss AL Teen USA 2006).
Claire is the fourth consecutive returning runner-up to win the Miss Alabama Teen USA title. This is rare in any state and hasn't happened in Alabama in the 17 years of records I've kept. Since 2005, all but one of 13 winners has been a blonde!
The five remaining from the top ten were also all very experienced competitors, in fact they had competed in 16 previous USA pageants between them. They were Miss Georgia's Outstanding Teen 2013 Kelly Hutchison, who was a runner-up in Miss Georgia Teen USA the past two years and was competing in her first Miss pageant; three-time non-finalist (and 2012 top 15 Teen finalist) Preslie Gifford; 2016 non-finalist and past Florida contestant Victoria Ward; 2014 Teen top 10 semi-finalist & swimsuit winner Madison Neal; and Caroline Pettey, who was a Teen runner-up in 2013, Miss runner-up in 2015 and top 10 last year.
Hannah Godwin won her first Congeniality award and top 15 semi-finalist Savannah Droxler won Photogenic. Baylee Smith was the first winner to also win the Swimsuit award since Mary-Margaret McCord in 2013.
In the Teen competition, first runner-up went to swimsuit winner Hannah Claire Hamric who was top 10 last year. Newcomers Kennedy Cromeens and Alex Griffin took the second and third runner-up spots respectively. Fourth runner-up was Bayley Albinger who has now made the top five three time and top ten once. Most of the rest of the top ten and top fifteen spots went to newcomers.
Full results
1RU: Hannah Godwin (3RU 16, 3RU 15)
2RU: Barron Rae Williams (T10 15, AL TUSA 11, 1RU AL TUSA 10)
3RU: Taylor Jones (T10 AL TUSA 13)
4RU: Alyssa Knight (2RU 16)
Top 10:
Preslie Gifford (NF AL TUSA 15, NF 14, NF 13, T15 12)
Kelly Hutchinson (2RU 16, 1RU 15, Miss GA's OT 13)
Madison Neal (T10 AL TUSA 14, NF 13, NF 11)
Caroline Pettey (T10 16, 4RU 15, 2RU AL TUSA 13)
Victoria Ward NF 16, T10 15, SF FL USA 14, SF FL TUSA 10)
Top 15:
Chelsea Bowden
Cortney Burns (T15 16, T10 15, 4RU 14)
Savannah Droxler
Katie Hilyer (T15 15)
Shannon-Elizabeth Taylor (NF 16)
Congeniality: Hannah Godwin
Photogenic: Savannah Droxler
Swimsuit: Baylee Smith
1RU: Hannah Claire Hamric (T10 16)
2RU: Kennedy Cromeens
3RU: Alex Griffin
4RU: Bayley Albinger (3RU 16, T10 15, 4RU 14)
Top 10:
Ashlyn Byrd (NF 16, T10 15)
Landry Carter
Ireland Hendrix
Natalie Jones
Ale McGraw
Top 15:
Sophia Armata
Savannah Bussey (NF 16)
Katelyn Kirby
Renee Pufahl
Kennedy Whisenant
Congeniality: Ashley Estes
Photogenic: Madison Boyd
Swimsuit: Hannah Claire Hamric