At Thursday's Senior Sashing Ceremony, senior women's golfer Erica Scutt delivered the following reflection of her time at Austin Peay State University to her fellow graduating senior student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, family, and friends. Below are her remarks reflecting on her time spent as a Governor and a student-athlete at Austin Peay.

A lesson learned over the years is that life is about chapters. Regardless of our length of time at Austin Peay, it will always remain a distinct chapter in our lives. As this chapter is about to close and another one opens, each one of us sits here today and begins to prepare for the next phase of our lives, whether that be graduate school, coaching, playing at the next level, or some other form of work, it is important to reflect on everything that we have learned and the milestones that we have achieved.

Starting about five years ago, we all experienced recruiting through the pandemic. We were all forced to choose a school during an unconventional time. The many FaceTime calls with Coach Jessica Combs, who spoke about her vision for the future, passion for Austin Peay, and the path the athletics program was headed, were motivating factors for me. After meeting many of the coaches at Austin Peay, it is clear that they represent the same core values.

At that moment, none of us knew the lifelong friendships, mentors, support, and memories that would lie ahead in Clarksville. I would have never imagined standing here today, five years later, and being so happy and proud of my decision to be a Governor.

Over the last four years, we have seen a shift in the conference we are members of. On July 1, 2022, we became official members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. A conference that brought tougher competition and required athletes to perform at their peak to compete for a championship.

Through the generosity of our donors in the last four years, we have seen renovations in every one of our athletics facilities. And in 2024, Austin Peay reached its highest enrollment of over 10,000 students and is one of the fastest-growing universities in Tennessee.

This year, we have done some notable things as student-athletes that demonstrate the 'Total Gov Concept.' We broke the grade-point average record as a department. We took part in hurricane relief by packaging up essential items. We collected and distributed 10,200 cans of food. We visited the Veterans' nursing home on Valentine's Day to show compassion and appreciation for their bravery. We each earned 25 hours of community service through initiatives such as Buddy Ball and partnering with local elementary schools. These efforts prove that you are admired for more than your athletic abilities; you are respected for the pride you show for your community and the members who make it up.

As we close this morning, I want to thank everyone in this room today. To the parents, thank you for driving us to every practice, game, meet, tournament, or match. To the supporter who showed up, no matter the outcome. To the coaches who saw potential and took a chance on us and always reminded us that no matter how we performed, we were recruited and chosen to be a Governor because of the person we are. To the academic advisor who helped schedule tutoring, worked tirelessly to ensure that we received the best education possible, and made it a priority to attend our events and show their support.

And finally, the seniors. During our first AMP meeting, Mr. Ryan Combs told us to look around at the faces in the room and know that in four years, we would consider them family, friends, and some would even be standing by our side at our wedding someday. Never forget that these people shared the same passion for the game, picked you up after a bad day, rode to early morning workouts with you, stayed after a tough practice with you, and have now received your student-athletes' sash with you.

Congratulations, Class of 2025.