ECAC Women’s Flag Football Coaches Exude Enthusiasm as Championship Weekend Arrives
Danbury, Conn. - ECAC Women’s Flag Football Coaches Exude Enthusiasm as Championship Weekend Arrives
Reuben Tripp (Author)
Amanda Ruller (Eastern University)
As the inaugural season of the ECAC x NY Jets flag football league comes to a close, we reached out to some of the coaches to gain insight into the impact this season has had on them, players, and the collegiate sports community as a whole. First, we spoke to Amanda Ruller of Eastern University. Eastern had actually started its flag football program the year prior, competing with other schools that had fresh programs. That being said, when presented with the opportunity to join the league, they jumped. The support being shown to the sport by the Jets was a huge initiative, and they knew that the level of competition would challenge their athletes and give them a venue to prove themselves.
While still in its first year, Ruller shared that this was an extremely important time in what she called the “evolution of women’s sports”. Ruller is one of only a few full-time coaches across the entire league and believes that the increasing interest in the sport will help encourage athletic departments across the country to continue investing in the position and teams. While the rapid growth of women’s collegiate flag football is extremely exciting, Ruller shares that there have still been challenges along the way. One that is always on a coach's mind is recruiting; fortunately, the growth of the sport across high schools, particularly in Pennsylvania, where Eastern is located, has made this challenge less daunting, but it is still difficult to fill a complete varsity roster of experienced players. To help ease this burden, Ruller spent a significant amount of her time reaching out to athletes across a variety of sports. The success these players have had shows just how much a sport like flag football lends itself to talented individuals regardless of background.
Ruller shared that perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the past season is the inspiration her players have been, and how the strong competition throughout the league fostered a culture of determination and dedication that has shown the spotlight on some really strong leaders. Such a fierce sport as flag football has helped many young ladies find their voice on and off the field, and the level of professionalism throughout the league really lets the athletes shine through, which is always great to see.
Connor Arlia (Franciscan University)
Immediately into the interview, Arlia could not overstate how much of a blessing his team had been to him over the season. As with most sports, the coach fills a vital role not only in strategy but also in team energy and team morale. He shared that through his time with Franciscan University, it has been the easiest coaching job in his entire career, simply because of the energy and willingness to step up by all his players. The willingness and eagerness to learn throughout the entire roster have made the entire season extremely rewarding and have shown themselves in the outstanding success of many of the players.
On the flip side, as one of the farther teams, geography-wise, Franciscan took advantage of the flexibility in scheduling, and the ability to compete in tournament-style game days on the weekend was great for not only shaving travel costs, but also allowing for the girls to gain competitive experience without sacrificing other priorities like classwork and recovery time.
Ahead of the ECAC championship this weekend, Arlia shared that both he and the team are extremely excited to be able to travel to NY, believing that this will be a great opportunity to represent for other young women, and can’t wait to showcase not only their athletic capabilities but also embody their school's philosophy of evangelizing and sending forth joyful disciples. A principle he believes has been well shared by the humbleness of the team and by the leadership and competitive drive of their QB, Annie Seida, and WR Kylie Panizza. Their enthusiasm, and that of the team as a whole, has really been what holds them together. Arlia was extremely grateful not only to the Franciscan athletic department for their continued support, but also to the ECAC and Jets, stating that the continued emphasis and spotlight on the girls has been “a real blessing”.
Lawrence Kovacs (St. Joseph's)
To wrap up the day, we spoke with Lawrence Kovaks of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kovacs started coaching the team after his daughter joined the club program. His daughter is actually one of just seven players on the twenty-one player roster to have prior experience playing flag football, with another seven being gifted athletes from other sports, and the remainder being brand new to collegiate athletics. While there is a steep learning curve for those new to the sport, Kovacs believes that anyone who is a good athlete and works hard will find a spot on the team, and many of those very players have had a great contribution to the program's success this past season.
Unlike Most other schools within the league, St. Joseph’s offers flag football as a club sport even though the league competes at a varsity level. Part of his mission has been to increase support for the program as they strive to become a varsity team itself. That effort has begun to pay off as scholarships have even been offered for some athletes. Kovacs also appreciated the opportunity to compete with schools of multiple divisions, saying that the experience has helped to develop and push players to achieve new highs. In closing, Kovacs shared he hopes to see even more continued growth of the sport in the Philly area and the community.
You can catch all the ECAC Women’s Flag Football Championship action this weekend live from the Jets practice facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, by watching the broadcasts streamed live on
https://www.newyorkjets.com/
About the ECAC
The ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) is eighty-eight year-old organization with over 200 members schools across all three NCAA Divisions-I, II, III- that exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics, and provide great value for universities and colleges, by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the Northeast and beyond, The ECAC also hosts a comprehensive esports program with more than 300 member schools across the country fielding 2,500 teams participating in 24 different esports games, streamed live four nights a week.
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