Trio From RSC Women's Flag Football Earn All-E8 Honors
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Women’s Flag Football had three student-athletes earn All-Empire 8 Conference honors. Accolades, determined by a vote of the five head coaches, were announced by the Conference office earlier today.
Sophomore Hailey Blake (Schenectady, NY/Colonie Central) garnered first-team status on offense. She tallied 754 all-purpose yards and five touchdown catches. Blake picked up 88 yards on 15 carries and tallied 59 receptions for 641 yards. The sophomore also earned second-team honors on defense. She finished second on the team with 44 total tackles, while recording three interceptions, seven pass breakups and two tackles for loss.
"Hailey did so much for this team this year and I am so proud of her being voted first-team All-Conference offense and second-team All-Conference defense!" said RSC Head Coach Denver Divens. "Hailey was our team's starting receiver, safety, punter, a returner, and most importantly, a captain. As a goalie for our soccer team, she is most likely used to being put in the spotlight for every shot on goal, but she was also put in the spotlight for us in almost every facet of the game and did not disappoint! She scored our program's first receiving touchdown, is one of the program's first captains, and now she is the programs first first-team All-Conference player! I am so incredibly proud of Hailey for all of her accomplishments and very excited to work with her for the next few years and see all she is going to accomplish!,"
Senior Aniyah Kelley (New Castle, DE/William Penn) was voted to the second-team offense. She hauled in 41 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns. The senior, who also started on the RSC Women's Volleyball and Women's Basketball programs, was chosen the E8 Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Saturday, April 4. She registered 38 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, and six pass breakups this spring.
"To see Aniyah go from being one of the biggest voices supporting the start of Flag Football at RSC, to being voted second-team All-E8 is so awesome!" commented Divens. "Aniyah is an amazing athlete that put in the work on and off the field to help get this program to where it is today. Being a three-sport collegiate athlete is hard, trying and playing a brand new sport at the collegiate level is very hard, and being voted at the top of the conference in that sport is incredible! I'm very proud of Aniyah and this team will truly miss her next year!"
Sophomore Kaleigh Dean (Salt Point, NY/FDR) also made the second-team on defense. She topped the Gators with 47 total takcles, seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss. In the program's inaugural game vs. SUNY Brockport, the sophomore registered ten tackles, four of which were for loss, and three sacks. It was one of two three sack performances for Dean. Offensively, she reeled in 28 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns and picked up 49 yards on the ground on 24 carries.
"I'm so insanely proud of Kaleigh for being voted second-team All-Conference on the defensive side of the ball!" said Divens. "Being a two-sport athlete isn't easy, but Kaleigh came to practice every day with a great attitude, wanting to get better any way she could. She was very inquisitive and wanted to make sure she understood her role as well as possible so she could help the team as best she could. Kaleigh is incredibly coachable and a pleasure to coach, and I am very excited to see her future in this sport!"
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2026 E8 Women's Flag Football Tomorrow's Leaders Team. This team honors a student-athlete who has emerged as a leader not only on the field of play, but in the classroom and in the community. In addition, they "compete with honor and integrity" and have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen. Blake represented the Gators (1-7) on the squad.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: Greco Construction is the inaugural sponsor of the Russell Sage College Women's Flag Football athletic program, the first of its kind in the Capital Region…Building on the momentum of the fastest-growing sport in the world, the multi-year agreement helped establish the 22nd athletic program at RSC…The 15-player roster featured six student-athletes that compete on other Gator teams…The group includes Kelley, who started on the RSC Women's Volleyball and Women's Basketball teams, and freshman Isabella Clute (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen), a key contributor on the Gators' Women's Soccer and Women's Basketball squads…The Gators, under the direction of Coach Divens, hosted SUNY Brockport for the first intercollegiate women's flag football game played in New York State's Capital Region on Friday, March 27…RSC earned the first victory in program history on March 31, defeating visiting Hartwick 31-28…Kelley was chosen the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Saturday, April 4…The senior recorded 19 tackles, eight of which were for loss, and five sacks across three contests…She tallied seven tackles, four for loss, and two sacks in the Hartwick win…Kelley hauled in 11 catches for 158 yards and three touchdowns during the 1-2 week…She registered seven catches for 100 yards and three tuddys in the home victory vs. Hartwick.
