Illinois College women’s flag football team makes historic early run

Illinois College’s new women’s flag football team has done more than get off the ground in Jacksonville. In a matter of weeks, the Lady Blues earned the program’s first win, hosted the first flag football game ever played on campus and helped turn a new sport into a local attraction with packed stands at England Stadium.

The breakthrough came March 8 at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, where Illinois College beat Benedictine 26-12 in the first game in program history. The Chicago Bears hosted what they called the first-ever Illinois collegiate women’s flag football tournament, with seven Illinois programs at the Walter Payton Center. Illinois College opened the day with that win, then fell in the title game after reaching the championship round.

The Lady Blues kept building from there when they returned home March 21. In front of a packed crowd at England Stadium, Illinois College beat North Park University 28-26 on a late safety, the first flag football game ever played on the Illinois College campus. Illinois College Athletics said the team piled up 430 yards of offense in the win, a sign that the program’s early success is not coming by accident.

The opening win also showed how quickly individual players have become part of the team’s identity. Olivia Hulsey, a former Oakville High School athlete who had never played football before, scored two touchdowns in the first program win and delivered three catches for 43 yards. Abby Flowers, a freshman from Carrolton and a Carrolton High School graduate, added five catches for 61 yards and has already become one of the most productive players on the roster with more than 700 yards of offense and six touchdowns. Reagan Oster was sharp in the opener too, going 4-for-8 passing for 49 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards on three carries.

Head coach Mark Grounds, whom Illinois College named its first women’s flag football coach on July 24, 2025, has helped shape a roster that mixes experience with first-time players. The college said the sport’s growth in Illinois has created a pipeline that did not exist long ago, with girls’ flag football sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association in 2024 and more than 125 high school teams already competing. Illinois College said nearly 100 more were expected to join soon, which helps explain why the sport has arrived with such speed in Jacksonville.

The Lady Blues also split recent games with Illinois Wesleyan, including a 26-13 loss and a 43-12 win over Benedictine, leaving them at 3-3. For Jacksonville, the early run has already given the city a new team to follow, a new game to host and a new path for local athletes who want to keep playing.