WICHITA, Kan. – Entering its inaugural season, the Baker University women's flag football team will be joining the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) as a per-sport member in Women's Flag Football for the 2023-24 season, the league announced Thursday.
"Blessed & honored doesn't begin to explain how thrilled I am to be the head coach of this beginning program at Baker University," Willy Perez, the Wildcats' head coach, said. "The opportunity to create awareness in our town of Baldwin about the vastly growing sport of flag football and how athletes can now play this sport collegiately is super exciting! I am ready to grow this sport as best I can and Baker is giving me the Avenue to do so!"
"Baker University Athletics is extremely excited to welcome flag football to the Baker Family," Susan Decker, Baker University Director of Athletics, remarked. "This is a rapidly growing sport and we are excited to join the KCAC and have Coach Willy Perez lead his team in arguably the best flag football conference in the country. The addition of this sport will bring more awareness about the game to Baldwin City and surrounding communities as well as young women who have been a part of flag football in other parts of the country. I'm anxious to watch the young women compete on our campus."
Baker will field the ninth women's flag football team in the KCAC. The Wildcats join KCAC full member institutions Bethel College, Kansas Wesleyan University, Ottawa University, Southwestern College, and the University of Saint Mary, and are one of four per-sport members within the conference which features fellow Heart of America school Graceland University along with Midland University and Cottey College.
"We are thrilled to extend this invitation to Baker University to join with our other eight programs to begin competition in the 2023-24 school year. We look forward to having the Wildcats compete for a conference title and boost the number of collegiate teams adding Women's Flag Football. It will not be long until the NAIA is granting National Invitational status and eventually National Championship status to Women's Flag Football," stated Dr. Scott Crawford, KCAC Commissioner.
Baker will compete at the NAIA level in women's flag football which holds its season in the spring and plays its national finals at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Women's flag is currently an emerging sport in the NAIA. An emerging sport in the NAIA is defined as at least 15 participating institutions, while invitational can be defined as at least 25. A sport must have a minimum of 40 participating institutions to be considered for full championship status.
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Click HERE to check out Baker University Flag Football's website