The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) has announced that it will introduce its first-ever women’s flag football team this spring.
The announcement was celebrated during the halftime of the Saint John’s University football game on Oct. 25, as the Bennie flag football team captains were introduced to the crowd on the field, followed by a ceremonial “first pass.”
“With St. John’s being such a powerful football school already, it’s just amazing how it can transfer to St. Ben’s now,” said Alaina Pundsack, a freshman at CSB and a flag football captain.
CSB, joining several other Minnesota colleges in introducing flag football, is part growing initiative by the Minnesota Vikings. It started a few years ago, when the Vikings invested in flag football at the high school and middle school levels. Now, they’re putting resources into the college level too.
It’s good timing as the players who benefited in high school are graduating and want to keep playing, like Pundsack. She played flag football for Mounds View High School last spring.
“I loved it, so over the summer I reached out to our athletic director to see if it was a possibility [at St. Ben’s],” said Pundsack.
Pundsack says they’ve had 50 girls show interest in playing already.
“That’s a really incredible number to have,” said Pundsack.
Pundsack has been working with CSB’s director of athletics, Kelly Anderson Diercks, to launch this new sport on campus.
“I’m a firm believer in what athletics does, particularly for women, being able to give them lessons outside the classroom when it comes to being a good teammate, when it comes to managing your time, when it comes to doing hard things,” said Anderson Diercks.
One of the big appeals to flag football is that it’s open to anyone who wants to try it.
“It’s really cool because it’s such a new sport, you don’t really have to have previous knowledge or experience to play,” said Pundsack.
“I think it’s a really exciting time for what the future of flag football could look like,” said Anderson Diercks.
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