Hailey Brown has a tough act to follow. But, if she has her way, she'll be the next Miss Tennessee.

Brown, a student at the University of Tennessee at Martin, took her first step toward Atlantic City when she claimed her crown during the 2003 Miss UTM Scholarship Pageant.

The 20-year-old South Fulton native hopes to follow in the steps of Valli Kugler, last year's Miss UTM winner who later claimed the 2002 Miss Tennessee crown. Brown credited Kugler for supporting her participation in the combined pageant.

"Valli was the encouragement behind me doing all of this, and she has really inspired me to do well in the Miss Tennessee Pageant," Brown said.

Brown will represent UTM during the upcoming statewide Miss Tennessee Scholarship Com-petition, a preliminary to the Miss America Pageant. Preliminary competition for the Miss Tennessee event will begin on Wednesday, June 18, at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, with the final competition at 8 p.m., Saturday, June 21.

Brown will compete on an arthritis awareness platform. Her talent is piano.

This year's Miss UTM Scholarship Pageant, held in combination with the Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival Pageant, recently captured honors of its own when it was named the top pageant in the state. The production received the award for "First Place -- Outstanding Production" out of 36 pageants during a spring Miss Tennessee Workshop held in Nashville.

Runners-up for the Miss UTM crown were: first runner-up Tabatha Thurman, of Rutherford, and second runner-up Jennifer Ogg, of Martin.

For more information about the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition, visit www.misstennessee.org.