A talented Kansas Wesleyan flag football team team rolled through the 2024 season posting a program-best 19-4 record that included an 11-2 slate in the Kansas Conference and won the NAIA Flag Final B Bracket for the third consecutive year.
Fast forward to 2025: as good as the Coyotes were a year ago, they could easily be better.
"We have a lot of seniors this year that came back from last year that have really stepped up into more of a leadership role," third-year coach Melinda Nguyen said. "They've been doing a great job of just coaching and mentoring the underclassmen.
"This year is a lot of people's last year, so the mentality is go all out, all or nothing. There's no holding back anymore. This is the most talented the team has ever been, and the incoming freshmen just took that bar to another level."
KWU averaged 30 points last season and allowed 12. With a roster that features 10 seniors and 10 juniors those numbers will almost certainly improve.
Offensively, it starts with junior quarterback Chihiro Iwata who hails from Tokyo and was stellar during her rookie year with the Coyotes throwing for 4,549 yards, 71 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. She has her top three receivers back in junior Jazmine Whitfield who caught 115 passes for 1,389 yards 17 scores, senior Angel Roman (78-765-14) and senior Ciaran DeCuir (57-731-17).
"Iwata is phenomenal as always and now she's a little bit more settled," Nguyen said of her quarterback who again played internationally during the offseason. "Has had more time to gain chemistry with the receivers and the team and really kind of come out of her shell in terms of her personality on the team."
Whitfield was slowed by injuries during the fall but is expected to be ready for the season. Roman was sensational and played everywhere while earning all-KCAC honors on offense and defense in 2024.
"Angel is a great leader and shows out," Nguyen said. "There's no doubt that (Whitfield) and Chihiro have amazing chemistry. I don't know how she does it, but she just always manages to find the green. Ciaran is just a staple. This year she's being a little bit more vocal and her mentality going into this season is 'I don't want to be overlooked anymore. I don't want to be just a role player.'"
Senior linebacker Alexa Mansur, the team's leading tackler, returns to anchor the defense along with Roman. Also back are senior linebackers Lexi Marquez and Alexis Jimenez, junior rusher Ansdiane Rabano and senior defensive back Nickayla Howard.
"(Mansur) has been huge in helping coach the underclassmen," Nguyen said. "You really haven't mastered something until you can teach it to someone else. I think Alexa has done that tenfold. Her leadership on top of her athleticism is really going to take that defense to the next level."
Nguyen is excited about a handful of newcomers. Wide out/defensive back Aliyah Wood is a transfer from Thomas University.
"She will be a splash player for us," she said. "She puts her head down and just work. She plays very similar to Angel Roman so it's nice having two of them now."
Two freshmen - defensive back Nijah Green and running back Aaliyah Oliver - have been impressive in the preseason.
"Green is super-fast, explosive, quick, challenges our fastest player from last year," Nguyen said. "Oliver is very experienced, very high football IQ, great technique. She is small (5-feet-1) but she plays huge."
Nguyen said the KCAC should be better and points to defending champion Ottawa, Baker and new member William Woods as teams to watch.
"Ottawa is Ottawa," she said. "We scrimmaged them in the fall. They recruited phenomenal athletes ... and seeing them play, they're good. They have a lot of fifth-year seniors as well, I think there's no doubt that they're going to come back strong. I think Baker is always someone that we should look out for.
"There's been huge recruiting from last year so the talent level on a lot of teams has really been elevated. I'm hoping for closer competitions and more competitive contests this year."