- The 19-year-old took the field in the first quarter of Shenandoah’s win over Juniata
- Van Voorhis – a junior – joined the Hornets in 2021 and is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds
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Shenandoah University Division III safety Haley Van Voorhis on Saturday became the first woman to ever play a position other than kicker in an NCAA football game.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior showed off a quarterback rush 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 pass was incomplete.
The Juniata Eagles then began punting, giving possession back to their rivals.
“It’s an amazing thing,” Van Voorhis told The Washington Post. “I just wanted to go out and do my thing.” I want to show other people what women can do and show what I can do. It’s a big moment.
“I made the impossible possible and I’m thrilled about it.”
Haley Van Voorhis, a safety for D-II Shenandoah, is the first woman to play 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 was previously a high school player at Christchurch High in Virginia.
Van Voorhis, 19, of Plains, Virginia, joined the Shenandoah Hornets football program in 2021.
“There are definitely people out there who see the story and think, ‘This girl is going to get hurt,'” she added. “I hear that a lot. Or: “She’s too small, doesn’t weigh enough, isn’t big enough.” But I’m not the smallest on my team and I’m not the lightest.”
In 2020, Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller scored two extra points, becoming the first woman to score in a Power Five conference game.
Van Voorhis described her appearance in Saturday’s game as a “big moment” for women in sport
Liz Heaston became the first woman to score in college football, with two extra points for NAIA’s Willamette on October 18, 1997.
Katie Hnida became the first woman to score at the FBS level when she hit two extra points for New Mexico on August 30, 2003.
April Goss became the second person to hit an extra point when she scored for Kent State in 2015.
Tonya Butler became the first woman to take a shot and score a field goal in an NCAA game for Division II West Alabama on September 13, 2003.