WASHINGTON - The Gallaudet University women's flag football program hosted Penn State Harrisburg (11-2) for the inaugural United East championship Saturday afternoon. The Bison battled tooth and nail but ultimately fell to Penn St.-Harrisburg, 12-7, in a heartbreaking loss, earning the conference's first runner-up finish in program history.
Prior to the championship matchup Gallaudet (12-2) was the top-seed in the United East conference with an almost perfect record of 12-1.
Sophomore quarterback
Gianna Visco (Riverside, Calif.) completed 34 of 47 passes for 309 yards and one touchdown against the Lions. Visco frequently connected with sophomore
Citrine Lummer (Frederick, Md.), who recorded 18 receptions for 142 yards, while sophomore
Jada Zarembka (Riverside, Calif.) added 11 catches for 121 yards.
Lummer made a major impact on both sides of the ball and led the Bison defense with a team-high 12 tackles.
After the game, the Lions' Bianca Williams was named Most Valuable Player award after a stellar defensive performance that included 10 tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss.
Gallaudet advanced to the championship game after a 27-6 semifinal victory over fourth-seeded Cedar Crest College in the first semifinal of the day.
Visco completed 21 of 35 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 67 yards and one score in the semifinal win. Zarembka caught six passes for 61 yards and one touchdown while first year
Tiana Starayev (Noblesville, Ind.) hauled in four passes for 47 yards and one score. Lummer had a 54-yard interception that ended in a touchdown for the Bison.
GU took a 6-0 lead into halftime and built a 20-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter against the Falcons (6-7).
Penn St.- Harrisburg defeated third-seed Cairn University by the score of 27-21 in the second semifinal to pit the Lions against the Bison for the third time this season.
Despite an impressive showing the Bison were not able to clinch the championship title this season.
UP NEXT
This completes the 2026 season for the Bison women's flag football team.