KANSAS CITY, Mo. -Four automatic qualifiers and four at-large selections have sights set on Bradenton, Fla., May 7-9, as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) holds its inaugural Women's Flag Football Invitational at IMG Academy.
The NAIA's two original flag football conferences - The Sun and the KCAC - were claimed by the tournament's top two seeds, Warner (Fla.) and Ottawa (Kan.), while fourth-seeded Hope International (Calif.) won the automatic bid from the GSAC, and eighth-seeded Saint Francis (Ind.) is the automatic qualifier from the Mid-South, Appalachian, WHAC, Crossroads grouping.
Keiser (Fla.) was the first at-large selection as the No. 3 seed in the event, followed by fifth-seeded Baker (Kan.), No. 6 Kansas Wesleyan, and No. 7 St. Thomas (Fla.).
2026 Bracket (PDF) | Facility Map (PDF)
First-Round Matchups (May 7)
- Game 1: No. 1 Warner (Fla.) vs. No. 8 Saint Francis (Ind.), 8 a.m. ET (Field 9)
- Game 2: No. 4 Hope International (Calif.) vs. No. 5 Baker (Kan.), 8 a.m. ET (Field 10)
- Game 3: No. 2 Ottawa (Kan.) vs. No. 7 St. Thomas (Fla.), 10 a.m. ET (Field 9)
- Game 4: No. 3 Keiser (Fla.) vs. No. 6 Kansas Wesleyan, 10 a.m. ET (Field 10)
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1. Warner (Fla.), 20-0
The automatic qualifier from The Sun, the Royals were the only team in the NAIA to run the table into the Invitational, leading the NAIA in Player of the Week designations during the season with eight. Quarterback Kathryn Hutchinson claimed two of those awards, throwing an NAIA-best 152 touchdown passes with 6,915 yards, nearly 2,000 yards better than the NAIA's next best total. Hutchinson benefitted from the top two receivers in the NAIA, Anna Lux-Offerman and Jessica Finley, who combined for 221 receptions, and Warner led the NAIA in scoring, at 58.1 points per game. The Royals' defense was equally as good, shutting out seven consecutive opponents to begin the year, giving up 76 total points in 20 games - four per game.
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2. Ottawa (Kan.), 15-1
Winners of five pre-invitational status red banners, the Braves have a new quarterback for the first time in school history in 2026, as Anna Anderson has averaged 258 yards per game with 63 touchdown passes, both top-five marks among NAIA passers. The Braves averaged 39 points per game in 2026 and held opponents to less than 10. Ottawa has one blemish on the schedule, at 15-1, a non-conference loss to KCAC foe Kansas Wesleyan. The Braves earned the automatic bid from the KCAC.
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3. Keiser (Fla.), 13-3
The first at-large selection into the field, the Seahawks are led by quarterback Ava Wallace, who has the third-best touchdown total in the NAIA (63), averaging 258.6 yards per game. Keiser gave up 11.1 points per game in 2026, and the Seahawks' three losses are all to the top two seeds in this year's tournament. Keiser lost two of its last three going into the tournament - both losses to Warner, by a total of 24 points - but prior to that stretch, the Seahawks had won 10-straight games.
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4. Hope International (Calif.), 13-2
Hope International is 13-2 in its inaugural season, winning the Great Southwest Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Royals have won 13 consecutive games after early losses to Warner and Webber International (Fla.) in February. Hope International ran the table in the GSAC at 9-0, led by first-year quarterback Anahi Morales, who is closing in on 2,000 yards for the season while throwing 27 touchdown passes.
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5. Baker (Kan.), 14-3
The Wildcats earned an at-large selection after finishing second in the KCAC and falling in the KCAC tournament championship game to Ottawa (Kan.). Tara Llorente is the second-leading rusher in the NAIA, netting 817 yards on 121 carries, and she led the Association with 17 rushing touchdowns. She also threw for 2,222 yards and 34 passing touchdowns to total 51 going into the Invitational.
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6. Kansas Wesleyan, 11-3
Kansas Wesleyan is an at-large selection and has the NAIA's top receiver by average, Aliyah Wood, averaging 88.2 yards per game. She produced one 200-yard receiving game and caught 18 touchdown passes on the year. Wood was an NAIA Offensive Player of the Week during the 2026 season, as was her quarterback, Chihiro Iwata, who averaged 283.9 passing yards per game, second-best in the NAIA. She threw at least one TD pass in every game for the Coyotes, including six in her collegiate debut, totaling 52 on the season.
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7. St. Thomas (Fla.), 11-5
An at-large selection from The Sun Conference, St. Thomas averaged nearly 30 points per game in 2026, scoring 49 offensive touchdowns as a team. The Bobcats won five-straight before back-to-back losses to Keiser, closing the regular season and in The Sun Conference Tournament. Brooke Bogatz has led the STU quarterbacks, with 2,315 yards and 32 passing touchdowns.
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8. Saint Francis (Ind.), 13-4
USF's inaugural Women's Flag Football Season resulted in an automatic bid from a group of schools consisting of multiple NAIA conferences that came together in Columbus, Ind., for a spot in the Inaugural Invitational. The Cougars are 13-4 and have won 11 consecutive games, averaging 295 yards per game, which ranks eighth in the NAIA. Jianna Reyes has thrown for 3,219 yards and 34 touchdowns.
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