BATON ROUGE, La. -- It's the last go-round as a Lady Razorback for senior DeeDee Brown in the heptathlon, and she hopes to make the most of it in the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships beginning today.
"I'm going to do the best I can," Brown said Tuesday. "If I can't win, I at least want to finish in the top eight and make All-America."
Brown, 23, ranks fifth in her event this season with 5,542 points.
Ellenee Richardson of Washington State ranks first, and Tacita Bass of South Carolina is third, with a Kansas State competitor second and a Nebraska woman fourth.
"I know I can do much better than I have," Brown said. "The weather here is warm, but it feels good to me. I had a relaxing day (Tuesday) and I'll be ready at 4 p.m. (today)."
Today's heptathlon events are the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meters. The event concludes Thursday with the long jump, javelin and 800-meters.
"I'm not looking to have any certain point total after the first day," Brown said. "I just hope to have two good days."
Arkansas coach Lance Harter is confident that Brown can at least match her fifth-place national finish of two years ago.
"DeeDee is a veteran," Harter said. "This is her senior year and I believe she'll make All-America. She's been a phenomenal leader for our program. She's always had that leadership quality."
Brown has just two other Lady'Backs to lead this week -- 1,500-meter runners Londa Bevins and Christin Wurth -- but she did that by renting a scary movie called "Thirteen Ghosts" on Tuesday and watching it with her junior teammates.
"That sounds like DeeDee," said UA senior Marie LeJour, who just missed qualifying for this meet. "She's a total team player. At the Southeastern Conference meet, she competed in about 14 events and never complained."
That workload may have kept Brown from outpointing Bass for the SEC heptathlon title, although runner-up Brown made no excuse.
"DeeDee was a little disappointed at conference," LeJour said. "I know she really wants to do well in this meet."
Former UA heptathlete Gi-Go Miller, who traveled here with Brown's parents this week, said, "DeeDee is my best friend. She's a hard worker, great athlete and great person. She always wants the best for the people she works with. She's not selfish at all."
Thus when Miller nipped Brown by four points in the SEC heptathlon last year (5,704 to 5,700), Brown seemed genuinely happy for Miller.
"DeeDee is a good motivator, on and off the track," Miller said. "I'm going to warm up with her (today), and we'll both compete in the USA Nationals later this month. It will seem like old times."
After USA Nationals in California, Brown plans to "chill out" for about six months before taking stock of her track future.
"I'm going to start graduate school in athletic sports management," Brown said.
Harter, who will put Brown to work as an academic assistant, predicts success for her in life.
"DeeDee has the ability to lead by example, as well as excite people verbally," Harter said. "It's been a blessing for us to have her in our program."
