Dear Stacheville,
It is a great day to be an Austin Peay State University (APSU) Gov, and I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support throughout this incredible year. Your passion and dedication have been the driving force behind our success, and I cannot thank you enough.
This has been a historic year for Clarksville’s Hometown Team. In June, we launched our women’s lacrosse program and hired the first-ever head coach, becoming the only public University in the state of Tennessee to offer this sport!
In 2023-2024, Stacheville lived up to its reputation as the home of Champions. From our very own Governor being crowned a National Champion to our football team’s back-to-back conference championships and baseball’s first conference title since 2013, we’ve shown that Govs’ attack challenges and expect success.
Your presence in the stands has been nothing short of extraordinary. Your support has led to record-breaking attendance across multiple sports, including football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and baseball. This surge in attendance has directly contributed to increased revenues, enabling us to further invest in our programs and student-athletes.
Football, basketball, baseball, and softball all saw a double-digit increase in revenues during the 2023-24 season. The opening of the F&M Bank Arena for our basketball programs marked a new era for Governors athletics, and your enthusiasm has made it a true home-court advantage.
Our partnership with Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment is thriving, leading to record-breaking ticket sales and corporate sponsorships surpassing $2.6 million for the first time and the addition of 14 new corporate sponsors. Now, in the third year of this partnership, we have realized over 70% growth in overall season ticket sales, significantly boosted by our transition to Ticketmaster.
Our success this year extends beyond competition. Our student-athletes truly embodied the Total Gov Concept, excelling in academics and community service. This year, we had 14 academic all-conference performers, three scholar-athletes of the year, and 81 graduates.
This marks our 14th consecutive semester with a collective GPA above 3.0, and 11 varsity teams have maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher since Fall 2013. An impressive 144 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, while 288 made the Dean’s List. Our commitment to service was evident, with 2,745 hours dedicated to our community.
I am incredibly proud of what our student-athletes and coaches have accomplished this year. Their hard work, dedication, and perseverance have led to unprecedented success. As we look back on this record-setting year, please know that every cheer, every ticket purchased, and every show of support has made a difference. Thank you for wearing your red proudly and chanting Let’s Go Peay!
Looking ahead, we’re more excited than ever about the future of Austin Peay State University Athletics. Next year, we hope to continue our success in the classroom, maintaining our tradition of academic excellence. We’re also focused on growing the Top Hat Collective to expand NIL opportunities for our student-athletes, ensuring they can benefit from their hard work and talent both in the classroom and in competition. Filling our stands remains a top priority. The electric atmosphere you create is our secret weapon, and your energy and enthusiasm create an unmatched home-field advantage.
Our commitment to excellence remains unwavering, and with your continued support, we are confident that we will achieve even greater heights. Together, we will push boundaries, break more records, and create new milestones within APSU athletics. Thank you for being the best fans in college athletics. Your support means the world to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. This is our town. This is our time, and together, we will.
Let’s Go Peay!
