Flag Footballers Headed to the NCAA

Morgan Lester ’25 and Liliane Agbana ’25 to play for the Marymount Saints

An even bigger prize awaits flag footballers at The Hive. Just ask Morgan Lester ’25 and Liliane Agbana ’25, who earned scholarships to Marymount University in Virginia, where they will play Division III women’s flag football. The achievement is even more impressive, given the fact that Morgan and Liliane have just three seasons of competition between them.

“I didn’t know flag football was a college sport,” said Morgan, the Gray Bee team’s 2024-25 co-captain who first picked up a football as a UDII. “I didn’t think I’d get to the point where I could play in college.” Neither did Liliane, who fully committed to the sport in her senior year.

Both women say they fell in love with the competitiveness of the game and how it encouraged them to move beyond their comfort zones. And while Morgan and Liliane are the first flag footballers from St. Benedict’s Prep to play at the college level, Head Coach Chris Firriolo, Sr., expects there will be more. The sport is experiencing exponential growth at the high school level and in the NCAA. Last February, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics recommended adding flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program, setting it on a path to NCAA championship status. According to NFL Flag, the official flag football program of the NFL, at least 65 colleges sponsor flag football at the club or varsity level, with more expected to join by 2026.

St. Benedict’s launched its girls’ flag football program in 2024 and quickly established a competitive record. “Coaches are on our Property to watch these young women play,” said Coach Firriolo. He advises student-athletes to consider every aspect of the college experience — academics, degree programs, campus services and community — to determine the best-fit school.   

Liliane, for instance, was attracted to Marymount for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing; she aims to work as a labor and delivery nurse someday. “The school had everything I wanted,” said Morgan, who plans to major in biology and attend medical school to become a pediatrician. Both women are enthusiastic about the energy of the Saints’ flag football team. “The dynamics are similar,” said Liliane, referring to the strong bonds built over two seasons on the Gray Bee team. “On my first visit to Marymount, I sat down with other teammates. They’ve really grown as a team and support each other. I wanted something like that in a college team.”

The Saints’ flag football program is also new. It was launched in Spring 2025 and became a dominant team in the Atlantic East Conference, winning 15 straight shutouts in its inaugural season. As they start the next chapter of their academic and athletic careers, Morgan and Liliane can’t wait to see what the Gray Bees accomplish next. “I hope the program endures and goes on to win championships,” said Liliane. “I know they’ll continue to strive to put in the effort, sweat and tears.”

Having discovered that she enjoys stepping out of her comfort zone through flag football and rite-of-passage experiences at The Hive, Morgan offered a piece of advice to the incoming and current Gray Bees in the Girls Prep Division. “If you have the chance to try something new, do it.”