CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University’s Govs Gaming esports team closed out its first competition with a tiebreaker victory over Middle Tennessee State University in a four-match Tekken 8 competition at CDE Lightband’s F2CON earlier this month, securing a trophy and a $2,500 prize to benefit the club.
The matchup came down to a decisive final bout between APSU’s Anthony Collier and MTSU’s most experienced player. Despite Collier’s loss to the same opponent earlier in the event, he rallied to claim victory in front of approximately 1,000 online viewers.
“I wouldn’t have won if it weren’t for everyone else believing in me,” said Collier, a sophomore business human resources major and Govs Gaming’s newly elected vice president. “I want this to show that you don’t have to be the highest-ranked player or the smartest person in class. If you believe in yourself and you have a small handful of people who believe in you, then you can do just about anything in life.”
The win marked a historic milestone for Austin Peay’s esports program, which officially began competitive play with the event. Team members had spent months preparing, logging as much as 30-40 hours of practice per week.
“I didn’t have the convenience to be able to play at home, so a lot of the time if I had free time on campus, I’d go down to the esports room and practice,” said Judex Jeanphilippe, a sophomore English education major. “I was the last player added to the team, so I had to make up the time where I could.”
Ashton Hulsey, a junior English major who competed in the event and served as the team’s coach, said that experience made all the difference in APSU’s victory.
“We were on cloud nine,” he said. “The adrenaline was very high, especially when it went into a tiebreaker. My mom doesn’t normally watch games, but my pop told me she was yelling at the TV while watching us and getting really into it.”
The event also showcased the Govs’ talent outside of the competition. Freshman engineering technology major Brody Wadkins stepped in as a last-minute announcer for the livestream, helping to provide commentary for the popular fighting game channel TampaNeverSleeps.
“It was definitely something new for me, but I had a lot of fun with it,” Wadkins said. “It felt more like I was having a conversation with the other commentator, and that’s what I focused on to help myself not sound nervous and shaky.”
Whether competing or commentating, Austin Peay students made their mark at F2CON, and the rewards will benefit the entire program.
Meagan Potts, Govs Gaming’s staff advisor, said the prize money will help expand the team’s competitive capabilities and equipment. They currently lack access to certain downloadable stages and characters in Tekken 8, putting them at a disadvantage in practice sessions, and some esports events have an application charge.
“I want us to keep doing events like this,” Potts said. “By winning this prize, we’ll have more opportunities for future competition. I think MTSU will be back and better for next year’s F2CON because they’ll have more notice this time, and I’d love to be able to set up a bracket with four to six universities.”
Govs Gaming is continuing to build competitive teams for other titles such as Overwatch and Marvel Rivals, and students interested in joining can visit the club’s Discord server or contact Potts at pottsm@apsu.edu.