LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Two Nevada State University flag football players and their offensive coordinator are set to represent the United States at the International Federation of American Football World Championship in Germany next week.
Akemi Higa and Brooklin Hill were selected to the USA Football Women’s National Team. NSU offensive coordinator Rudy Fernandez was separately selected to coach the USA Men’s National Team.
Athletes bring different paths to Team USA
Higa, a 17-year-old freshman, plays quarterback for NSU. She said her introduction to the sport came through her brother in Hawaii.
“My brother came home with a flyer one day wanting to play, and he couldn’t. So I’m like, ‘Okay, I want to play,” Higa said.
Seeking greater competition and exposure, her family relocated to Las Vegas.
“So that’s when we decided to join a girls’ team here in Vegas. And, yeah, we’ve been playing with them since,” Higa said.
Higa said her national team teammates have embraced her regardless of her age.
“They treat me like their teammate. Or they don’t treat me as, you know, a 17-year-old quarterback. They treat me as their quarterback,” she said.
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Hill eyes Olympics after five years in the sport
Hill, a junior from Wisconsin, has been playing flag football for five years and said she has her sights set on the Olympics. She said the national team selection was not something she anticipated.
“No, I thought, as of right now, I would be somewhere playing softball, nursing major in another state somewhere, but that obviously is not happening. It’s, it’s way better than what I would have ever thought, for sure,” Hill said.
Hill said the experience of competing at this level carries personal significance.
“It’s an insane opportunity and experience,” she said. “Because not only am I challenging myself, but I’m following a dream.”
Coach calls leading the program a privilege
Higa and Hill train Monday through Friday under Fernandez at NSU. Fernandez said the program’s growth has been notable.
“The fact that these women are out here playing football and playing at the highest level. And we’re one of the top teams in the country right now. And it’s pretty exciting how far they’ve come,” Fernandez said.
NSU is currently the only college in Las Vegas with a women’s flag football program. In their second year, the team finished last season undefeated at 13-0.
The trio departs for Germany next week, where they will compete against 16 countries at the IFAF World Championship.
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