Haley Van Voorhis becomes 1st female non-kicker to play in NCAA football game
Haley Van Voorhis, a safety for Division III Shenandoah University, became the first woman to appear in an NCAA football game at a position other than kicker on Saturday in Winchester, Va.
The five-foot-six, 145-pound junior registered a quarterback hurry in the first quarter of Shenandoah’s 48-7 home win over Juniata College. She brought the quarterback to the ground just after he released the ball, and the third-down pass was incomplete.
“It’s an amazing thing,” Van Voorhis told The Washington Post. “I just wanted to get out and do my thing. I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It’s a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I’m excited about that.”
Liz Heaston became the first woman to score in college football with two extra points for Willamette of NAIA on Oct. 18, 1997.
Katie Hnida became the first woman to score at the FBS level when she made two extra points for New Mexico on Aug. 30, 2003. April Goss was the second to make an extra point when she scored for Kent State in 2015. Tonya Butler was the first woman to kick and make a field goal in an NCAA game for Division II West Alabama on Sept. 13, 2003.
WATCH | Manitoba Bisons’ Maya Turner kicks game-winning field goal in OT:
The Maple Grove, Minn. native converted from 21 yards out in double overtime to pave the way for a 27-24 Manitoba Bisons victory.
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