KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In its inaugural season, the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's flag football team has earned a spot in the eight-team NAIA Women's Flag Football Invitational, set for May 7-9 in Bradenton, Florida, at IMG Academy.

The field includes four automatic qualifiers and four at-large selections. Saint Francis enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed and is the automatic qualifier representing the Mid-South, Appalachian, WHAC, and Crossroads grouping.

Top-seeded Warner (Fla.) and No. 2 seed Ottawa (Kan.) claimed their respective conference titles, while No. 4 seed Hope International (Calif.) earned the automatic bid from the GSAC.

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 NAIA WOMEN'S FLAG FOOTBALL INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE 

• Thursday, May 7 
  • Game 1 - 8:00 a.m. - #1 Warner vs. #8 Saint Francis (Field 9)
  • Game 2 - 8:00 a.m. - #4 Hope International vs. #5 Baker (Field 10) 
  • Game 3 - 10:00 a.m. - #2 Ottawa vs. #7 St. Thomas (Field 9)
  • Game 4 - 10:00 am. - #3 Keiser vs. Kansas Wesleyan (Field 10) 
  • Game 5 - 12:00 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (Field 9) 
  • Game 6 - 12:00 p.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Field 10)
  • Game 7 - 2:00 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (Field 9)
  • Game 8 - 2:00 p.m. - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (Field 10)
• Friday, May 8 
  • Game 9 - 8:00 .m. - Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6 (Field 10)
  • Game 10 - 10:00 a.m. - Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 5 (Field 10) 
  • Game 11 - 12:00 p.m. - Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 (Field 10)
  • Game 12 - 2:00 p.m. - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7 (Field 10)
  • Game 13 - 4:00 p.m. - Loser Game 12 vs. Winner Game 11 (Field 10)
• Saturday, May 9 
  • Game 14 - 10:00 a.m. - Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13 (IMG Academy Stadium)
  • Game 15 - 2:00 p.m. - Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 - if necessary (IMG Academy Stadium)

The Cougars' first 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. Saint Francis is 13-4 and has 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.

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. The academic structure at Saint Francis offers seven pathways: Humanities, Faith and Liberal Arts; Allied Health; Business and Leadership: Creative Arts and Digital Media; Education, Human Services and Community Care; Nursing; and Sciences and Medical Studies. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis delivers workforce development healthcare programs in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Gas City, Indianapolis, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. A National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Five-Star Champion of Character institution, Saint Francis has 21 athletic programs boasting three individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.