APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Katie Ethridge, who spent the last 10 seasons at the University of South Carolina, has been named the Austin Peay State University athletics department’s newest Director of Academic Services, athletics director Ryan Ivey announced Wednesday.
“We are excited to have Katie join our department,” said Ivey. “She has shown an ability to motivate student-athletes to achieve in the classroom throughout her career. Katie also has a strong background in expanding her student-athletes horizons through community outreach and professional development. I believe she will be a tremendous mentor and leader for our student-athletes at Austin Peay.”
“I am honored and excited to join the staff at Austin Peay,” said Ethridge. “I would like to thank Ryan Ivey for the opportunity to lead the Governors Athletic Academic Services office and I look forward to working with our administration, coaches, faculty, and staff to support our student-athletes in achieving academic excellence.”
Ethridge rose through the ranks of the Gamecocks Academic Services office, beginning as an advisor in August 2007 before promotions to assistant director in August 2009 and finally associate director in August 2012. In that latter role, she served as advisor to South Carolina’s baseball, men’s basketball, women’s swimming and diving and women’s tennis programs. She also oversaw the eligibility and transfer processes for the athletics department and was instrumental in developing strategic planning for the academic services office.
As academic advisor to the men’s basketball program, Ethridge led that team to five semesters with a team grade-point average of 3.0 or better, including the program’s best-ever team GPA. She also worked with the Gamecocks football program while an assistant director and helped that team post a team GPA of 2.7 or better for six consecutive semesters. The football program also set its best-ever GPA three times under her tutelage.
Ethridge, a Griffin, Georgia native, began her career in her home state as an academic advisor and graduate assistant for academics at Georgia State. There she worked with four varsity programs: men and women’s tennis, women’s soccer and softball, and worked with at-risk student-athletes. She then spent one season at North Carolina State as the assistant academic coordinator for football before joining the South Carolina staff.
A 2002 graduate of Georgia, Ethridge earned a bachelor’s degree in sport studies with an emphasis in communications while in Athens. She then obtained a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Georgia State. Ethridge holds an individual certification from the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics.
