Castle kicker Aleyna Quinn becomes first female football player in program history

NEWBURGH, Ind. (WFIE) - History was made last weekend as Castle kicker Aleyna Quinn became the first female football player in the school’s history.

A sophomore at the time, the girls soccer standout was walking down the hallways of Castle High School when head football coach Doug Hurt approached her to make team history as the first female to join the football team.

[PREVIEW: Castle Knights rely on veteran leadership and football knowledge to carry success]

“I approached her dad first at a girls basketball game last winter that both of our daughters were playing in. I asked if he would be okay with it, he gave it the okay, so I found Aleyna in the hallway,” Hurt said. “She had a big smile on her face, seemed very interested, so the rest is history at this point.”

“It caught me off guard,” Quinn said. “On a normal day at school, he came up to me and said, ‘We’d be stoked to have you,’ and I was like you know what – why not give it a try? You don’t see too many girls doing stuff like that. Obviously, he believes in me, the coaching staff believes in me that I can do it, and I can show them that.”

Quinn played a key role in her first game with the Knights against North on Friday, kicking 4-for-4 on extra points.

“Looking up to, for example, the Vanderbilt kicker [Sarah Fuller] – I saw her and thought, ‘Oh that would be cool,’ I never really thought anything of it, that I’d be the one doing it,” Quinn said.

Hurt said what makes Quinn stand out is her competitive edge.

“Her ability is going to speak for itself,” Hurt said. “Obviously, she’s early in this, but the way she’s attacked it – Greg Steenberg is a kicking consultant for us, he said I don’t know if we’ve had anyone work as hard as her. Speaks volumes to how committed she’s been to this process. She’s just a natural athlete. That goes a long way, but when you couple that with an incredibly competitive spirit, to bring her in as part of the football team, it’s not a female kicker to us, it’s a great football player, a competitor, and we’re ecstatic to have her.”

For Quinn, the goal is not only to help the Knights win games, but to show young women they have a place on any field.

“They supported me, they encouraged me right when I stepped in,” Quinn said. “I’m doing this because I’m going to show people that you can do whatever you want, and girls especially, whatever you put your mind to you can do it.”

Castle is slated to square off with Mater Dei at the Reitz Bowl on Friday night.