(NAIA Release | Bracket | Schedule)
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas Wesleyan Flag Football will play in the Inaugural NAIA Flag Football Invitational Tournament on May 7 through 9 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
 
KWU is making history by being part of the eight-team field to the first-ever Invitational event, earning an at-large bid to the field of the double elimination tournament.
 
KWU had previously participated in the NAIA Flag Football Finals while the sport was at Emerging Sport status within the NAIA. The Flag Football Finals was an event run by NFL Flag and RCX. All flag football teams in the NAIA were eligible to participate, and participation was voluntary in the event.
 
This season marked the first year that the NAIA used a qualification model to build the field.
 
KWU is the No. 6 seed in the tournament and will face No. 3 seed Keiser in the first round on May 7 at 9 a.m., Central Tiime.
 
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.). 
 
The Coyotes are led by Chihiro Iwata who ranks second in the NAIA in passing yards per game at 283.5. She's thrown 52 touchdown passes against just seven interceptions on the season in 13 games. Aliyah Wood is the top receiver in the NAIA in yards per game, averaging 88.2 per game with 18 touchdowns. She has 109 receptions on the season and is one of 14 receivers with over 1000 yards on the season, ranking fifth nationally. KWU's defense ranks sixth in the NAIA in points allowed per game at 12.5. Ava Duerr paces KWU's defense with 63 flag pulls.