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.).