ARLINGTON, Texas — The University of Texas at Arlington has named Melinda Nguyen to lead the school’s first D-I women’s flag football program.

Nguyen brings an impressive resume with her to Arlington. She joins the school after three seasons at Kansas Wesleyan University, where she went 49-17 and reached the NAIA Flag Football Finals in all three seasons. In 2024, the team became the most successful in school history and Nguyen was named KCAC Coach of the Year. 

“We’re not tiptoeing into women’s flag football—we’re sprinting,” said UT Arlington President Jennifer Cowley. “Hiring our first coach starts a new era not just for UTA, but for Division I sports in Texas—and we intend to set the standard. Melinda is smart, competitive, and ready to build something special here. Buck ‘em!”

Outside of collegiate sports, Nguyen was the offensive coordinator for the Philippines Women’s National Team and assistant coach for the U.S. 15U Junior National Team that went on to win a silver medal in the 2025 Junior International Cup. She was also the offensive coordinator for Team America in the Women’s Flag Football Network and worked as a performance trainer for X-Factor Athletics.

Of joining the school’s first varsity program of its kind, Nguyen said her vision aligned with UTA’s.

“I’m extremely excited for this role,” Nguyen said. “This is an opportunity to make history in a sport that I’m very passionate about. UTA was the right fit for me because our visions aligned. Everything I had dreamed of as a child is now becoming reality and UTA was able to share that reality with me. Brainstorming with President Cowley, Jon and the rest of the administration – it was just really nice to see everyone on the same page and wanting to share that same vision of what flag football could be, what it will be, how big it could be, how exciting it is and sharing that with the world really has made UTA the best fit for me.”

Women’s flag football was announced as a varsity sport at UTA in May 2025. It became the fifth D-I school to add women’s flag football and the third college across all divisions in Texas.

The team will begin competing next spring at Maverick Stadium and recruiting efforts are underway for the inaugural team