- The 19-year-old took the field in the first quarter of Shenandoah’s win vs. Juniata
- Van Voorhis – a junior – joined the Hornets in 2021 and is 5-foot-6, 145-pounds
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Haley Van Voorhis, a safety for Division III Shenandoah University, became the first woman to ever appear in an NCAA football game at a position other than kicker on Saturday.
The five-foot-six, 145-pound junior registered a quarterback hurry in the first quarter of Shenandoah’s 48-7 home win over Juniata. She brought the quarterback to the ground just after he released the ball, and the third-down pass was incomplete.
The Juniata Eagles proceeded to punt after that, returning possession to their rivals.
‘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.’
Haley Van Voorhis, a safety for D-II Shenandoah, is the first woman to play in college football
Van Voorhis joined the Shenandoah Hornets’ football team in 2021 after playing in high school
Van Voorhis’ achievement was the latest milestone for women in college football. She previously was a high school player at Christchurch High in Virginia.
Van Voorhis, 19, and from Plains, Virginia, joined the Shenandoah Hornets’ football program in 2021.
‘There’s definitely people out there who see the story and think, ”This girl’s going to get hurt,” she added. ‘I hear that a lot. Or, ”She’s too small, doesn’t weigh enough, not tall enough.” But I’m not the shortest on my team, and I’m not the lightest.’
In 2020, Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller made two extra points to become the first woman to score in a Power Five conference game.
Van Voorhis described her cameo in Saturday’s game as a ‘big moment’ for women in sports
Liz Heaston became the first woman to score in college football with two extra points for Willamette of NAIA on October 18, 1997.
Katie Hnida became the first woman to score at the FBS level when she made two extra points for New Mexico on August 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 September 13, 2003.