Clarksville, TN – After leading the Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s golf team to its best team and individual finish at the Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Golf Championship, head coach Jessica Combs has agreed to a two-year contract extension through May 2027, APSU Vice President and Athletics Director Gerald Harrison announced Tuesday.
“It is a great day to be Gov and we are so excited that Coach Combs is staying home in Stacheville,” said Harrison. “Since Jessica took over our women’s golf program, she led the team to its first-ever conference championship in the Ohio Valley Conference and has built a championship competitor in the ASUN Conference. Her teams are not just successful on the course; they are the perfect representation of the ‘Total Gov Concept’ with extraordinary success in the classroom and community! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Austin Peay State University women’s golf with Coach Combs at the helm.”
Combs, a 2016 graduate of Austin Peay State University, led the Governors to a third-place finish at the 2025 ASUN Women’s Golf Championship with Kaley Campbell finishing in fourth place as an individual – both are the best marks since the APSU Govs joined the conference in 2022.
“I’m ecstatic to continue coaching at this great University and to keep building relationships with our phenomenal student-athletes,” said Combs. “I hope to continue improving each year I’m here and bring more championships back to Clarksville!”
Austin Peay State University has won 11 tournaments under Combs, with all the wins coming in the last four seasons, including a program-record four team victories during the 2022-23 season. The Govs have won at least three tournaments in three of the last four seasons.
Combs’ biggest victory came when the Governors won the 2022 OVC Championship and clinched a spot in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship for the first time in program history. After leading the program to its first NCAA Regional appearance in 2022, Combs also led the Govs to their first appearance in the National Golf Invitational, presented by GolfWeek, following the 2023-24 season.
Combs has also coached three Governors to individual medalist honors, with Erica Scutt and Taylor Dedmen each winning three times and Kady Foshaug winning once. Scutt’s three 54-hole victories also are an APSU career record.
In her six seasons leading the APSU women’s golf team, Combs has coached 10 all-conference, two conference all-newcomer, one conference all-freshman, and three conference all-tournament team selections. Combs, the 2022 OVC Coach of the Year, also helped Scutt earn 2022 OVC Freshman of the Year honors.
Off the course, 19 Governors have earned Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar honors – with at least four selections in each of the last three seasons – under Combs. Scutt also was named the 2025 ASUN Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, making her the first student-athlete in program history to receive the league’s highest academic honor.
The Governors have had a 3.00 grade-point average or better in all 11 semesters under Combs, including a program-record 3.936 GPA during the Fall 2024 semester. The APSU Govs also had 100 percent of their roster qualify for the APSU Dean’s List during the Fall 2024 semester.
The sixth head coach in Austin Peay State University women’s golf history, Combs – then Jessica Cathey – was a three-time All-OVC selection and two-time individual medalist during her playing career as a Governor. She also earned WGCA All-American Scholar honors in all four years of her career.
For all offseason news and updates, follow the APSU women’s golf team (@GovsWGO) on X and Instagram or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
