CHARLESTON – Charleston Southern Athletics has hired Angela Villarreal-Ortiz to be the first Head Coach for the Women's Flag Football team at the university. The hire concludes a nationwide search that began in January following the university's announcement of the addition to their sport offerings catalog.
 
Villarreal-Ortiz has been a participant in the USA Flag Women's National Team Trials for each of the past three years, becoming one of the nation's top players in the sport. In total, she has played flag football for six years as a wide receiver and a defensive back.
 
"I am incredibly honored to join the Charleston Southern University family and lead the first women's flag football program in school history," said Villarreal-Ortiz. "The chance to build something from the ground up is really special and I am looking forward to creating a culture built on discipline, unity and purpose. I am excited to work with our student athletes, help them grow on and off the field and build a program that competes at a high level and represents CSU the right way. Thank you to Mr. Jeff Barber for giving me this opportunity and go Bucs!"
 
In her working career, she has held a variety of titles in the world of coaching as well as strength and conditioning in and around San Antonio, Texas. These range from Director of Sports Performance to Personal Trainer with staffing, facility and clientele oversight. This has included leading strength and conditioning sessions for professional athletes, developing a strong staff culture among her employees and tracking athlete performance growth.
 
"We are proud to welcome Angela to the Buccaneer family as the inaugural head coach of our women's flag football program," shared Jeff Barber, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. "Angela is a great mission-fit for CSU and brings an elite background as a professional player, a three-time USA National Team camp invitee, and a potential Olympic team member for the 2028 USA Team. More importantly, she has a deep passion for developing student-athletes and growing the game of flag football at the collegiate level. We are very excited to welcome Angela and David to our community as we launch this new program and build a championship culture from day one."
 
Villarreal-Ortiz graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in May of 2019 with her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. In December of 2020, she completed her Master of Science in Health and Kinesiology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. While she was an undergraduate student, she was a valuable member of the women's basketball program at UTRGV.
 
The nationwide search began in January following the school's announcement of the addition of the program with their first competitive season to be in the spring of 2028. Charleston Southern was the first in the league to add it as a varsity sport and the 14^th nationally at the NCAA Division I level. In March, the Big South approved the addition of Women's Flag Football starting in the 2027-28 academic year. The conference became the first Division I multi-sport conference to sponsor this new emerging NCAA sport.
 
What they're saying about Charleston Southern Head Coach Angela Villarreal-Ortiz
 
U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach, Saaid Mortazavi - "Angela is an exceptional choice to lead the program at Charleston Southern University. She brings a rare combination of passion, football intelligence and the ability to connect with and elevate athletes. I am incredibly excited to see the impact she will have, not just in building a competitive team, but in shaping a culture that players will be proud to be a part of. This is a big moment for the program, and they will have a good person leading it forward."
 
USA Football Senior Director of High Performance & National Team Operations, Callie Brownson – "Charleston Southern has put their program in good hands with Angela Villarreal. Angela is a respected member of the elite flag football community and has earned multiple invitations to USA Football's National Team Trials, which speaks to where she stands among the best flag players in the country. Competing at the highest level of the game gives you an understanding that you cannot get anywhere else. I have no doubt she will bring the same commitment and understanding of the game to Charleston Southern, and her players will be better for it. I am excited to see the impact she makes for the Buccaneers!"