Women’s flag football takes the field at Montana Tech

When Kyndal Lowrie arrived at Montana Technological University this fall, there was one thing from high school she wasn’t ready to leave behind: flag football. 

Lowrie, a freshman radiologic technology student from East Helena, played the sport for two years in high school. After arriving in Butte, she emailed Montana Tech Director of Campus Life Madeline Thomas with a simple message: She wanted to start a team. 

An initial interest meeting drew a few students, and eight signed up for the team’s first games. 

Then came the hard part — turning that interest into a team. 

Lowrie and her teammates had to learn how to organize practices, gather contact information, find uniforms, fundraise and recruit enough players to take the field. They held just four practices before their first competition, an exhibition game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.  

“There’s a lot to it,” Lowrie said. “Getting all the meetings together, getting all the girls’ contact information, getting uniforms.” 

Their work paid off. 

Montana Tech defeated VRTX, a Missoula-based team, 24-6 in its first outing before falling 20-12 to the University of Montana. 

For Lowrie, the appeal of flag football is partly that it combines accessibility with competition. 

“Even though it’s not a contact sport, I like how aggressive it is,” Lowrie said. “I think it’s cool that football used to be a boys thing, and now it’s popped up out of nowhere for girls.”  

Freshman nursing student Elizabeth “Lizzie” Sherman of Billings was also eager for an opportunity to continue playing after her high school started a flag football team during her senior year. 

For Sherman, who plays quarterback, joining Montana Tech’s team meant another chance to compete — and an opportunity to help establish something new. 

“It’s just really fun,” Sherman said. “It’s a really welcoming sport. It’s really easy to jump in and get good at it.” 

The roster also includes athletes with a lot of experience.  

Senior Exercise and Health Science student Peyton Walker played flag football at Flathead High School during the sport’s first year there. When she heard Montana Tech students were putting together a team, memories of that experience drew her back. 

“As soon as I heard about it, I just thought back to all of the super amazing memories I made in high school,” Walker said. “I was like, I would love to just get back out on the field and play some football.” 

Walker, who also competes in track and field at Montana Tech, said people unfamiliar with flag football can underestimate its intensity. 

“To someone who’s just watching, you think, ‘Oh, it’s just flag football. There’s no tackling, there’s no contact,’” Walker said. “But no, that’s actually not the case at all. It’s very physical, very competitive.” 

The sport also has room for athletes with different strengths. Speed can make someone a strong running back. Others might excel on defense, at quarterback or kicking. 

“I think anyone can be good at flag football,” Lowrie said. “There are so many different places you could play.” 

The team is still in its early stages. Players are working on fundraising and seeking sponsors while continuing to recruit students. The regular season is expected to begin in the spring, but Montana Tech has another opportunity to compete in an exhibition on Nov. 7 at Montana State University. 

Walker hopes Montana Tech is only one of many colleges where the sport will take hold. 

“I think it’s going to be really big,” Walker said. “I’m just excited to see how big it can get.”