USA Football has announced the initial 24-player roster for its 2026 women’s flag national team, and four athletes with Southern Nevada roots made the cut. The list includes Akemi Higa, Kaylie Phillips, Maci Joncich, and Brooklin Hill, all of whom starred at local high schools.
Higa, a recent Desert Oasis graduate, led the state in passing yards this past season with 5,764 and earned first-team All-Southern Nevada honors. She is committed to Nevada State University. Hill and Phillips currently play for Nevada State, while Joncich, a 2024 Coronado graduate, was on the 2025 national team.
The team will attend a training camp to determine the traveling roster and alternates before competing at the 2026 IFAF flag football world championships in Germany this August.
