{"id":28143,"date":"2019-11-14T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T14:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=28143"},"modified":"2019-11-13T21:55:17","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T03:55:17","slug":"apsu-student-evan-ottinger-one-of-100-top-finishers-in-cyber-fasttrack-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2019\/11\/14\/apsu-student-evan-ottinger-one-of-100-top-finishers-in-cyber-fasttrack-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU student Evan Ottinger one of 100 top finishers in Cyber FastTrack contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – An Austin Peay State University (APSU) student is one of 100 nationwide to earn a full $22,000 scholarship for advanced cybersecurity training at the SANS Technology Institute next year.<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>

Austin Peay State University student Evan Ottinger earned the scholarship by solving more than 250 cybersecurity challenges over six months. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Evan Ottinger earned the scholarship by solving more than 250 cybersecurity challenges over six months in the Cyber FastTrack contest. Hundreds of colleges from across the country and more than 13,000 students started the contest in April. By the end of September, only 100 students remained. <\/p>\n

Thirty-three students from Austin Peay \u2013 the most from any Tennessee college and ninth-most in the country \u2013 made the quarterfinals. Two APSU students made the semifinals. Brett Daw won a $500 college scholarship for his efforts. <\/p>\n

Ottinger is one of only five students in Tennessee to win the $22,000 scholarship. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel as though Cyber FastTrack has validated my ability to succeed in the cybersecurity field,\u201d Ottinger, a senior studying computer information systems, said. \u201cWhile I still have much work to do, this accomplishment has given me the confidence that I\u2019m moving in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018These were serious challenges\u2019<\/h3>\n

Ottinger attributes associate professor Dr. Joseph Elarde with introducing he and his classmates to the Cyber FastTrack contest last spring. More than 150 APSU students took part in the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried a couple of the assessments out of curiosity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt became obvious rather quickly that despite the whimsical appearance, these were serious challenges. I decided to complete as many of the assessments as possible, ultimately finishing all 15. I was hooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he waited for the first-round results, he learned just how serious the competition was. Twenty-five state governors sponsored the event, which would award $2.5 million in scholarships to students who excelled in the contest. <\/p>\n

\u201cI spent much of April through September spending every waking minute I could find between work and class to complete the challenges,\u201d Ottinger said. \u201cIt took a lot of time and effort, but I learned a lot and would definitely do it all over again.\u201d <\/p>\n

He excelled. Ottinger was the only student in the state to finish 100% in the opening round. He attributed his success to four things:<\/strong><\/p>\n