BOWLING GREEN, Ky.--Four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) conferences are uniting next week to crown a champion and offer an automatic bid into the NAIA Flag Football Invitational.
Six institutions from the Appalachian Athletic Conference, Crossroads League, Mid-South Conference, and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference are set to gather at the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark in Columbus, Indiana, for the NAIA East Flag Football Championship.
Campbellsville University (Ky.), Cumberland University (Tenn.), and Lindsey Wilson University (Ky.) from the Mid-South, Milligan University (Tenn.) from the Appalachian, University of Saint Francis (Ind.) from the Crossroads, and Siena Heights University (Mich.) from the WHAC competes on Thursday and Friday, April 23-24, for a berth into the NAIA Flag Football Invitational in early May.
The six teams are scheduled to compete in pool play on Thursday and a single-elimination tournament on Friday. The NAIA Area Ranking Committee (ARC) rating on April 22 determines the pools. The No. 1, No. 4, and No. 5-rated teams are assigned to Pool A, while the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6-rated teams are assigned to Pool B.
Following pool play, the teams compete in a single-elimination bracket. The two pool winners earn byes into the semifinals. The championship game is slated for 6 p.m. ET on Friday, April 24.
Admission is $10 per day for an all-day pass. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Mid-South Conference website at
https://midsouthconference.ticketsauce.com/ or at the door. The championship is a cashless event. Seating is limited, but spectators may bring their own chairs for sideline seating.
Six games are scheduled for Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m. ET. The full schedule includes:
- Thursday: 9 a.m. ET - Pool A - No. 1 vs. No. 4
- Thursday: 11 a.m. ET - Pool B - No. 2 vs. No. 3
- Thursday: 1 p.m. ET - Pool A - No. 1 vs. No. 5
- Thursday: 3 p.m. ET - Pool B - No. 2 vs. No. 6
- Thursday: 5 p.m. ET - Pool A - No. 4 vs. No. 5
- Thursday: 7 p.m. ET - Pool B - No. 3 vs. No. 6
On Friday, the two quarterfinal games are slated for 9 and 11 a.m. ET. The two semifinals are scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m. ET, with the finals at 6 p.m. ET.
The tournament champion advances to the eight-team NAIA National Invitational, May 6-9, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.