Incoming Kalamazoo College girl kicker goes viral with 55-yard field goal

Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

KALAMAZOO, MI - Madison Barch earned a roster spot on next year’s Kalamazoo College football team because she can kick the heck out of the ball.

And for anyone doubting whether or not the Utica High School senior can get the job done as the Hornets' first woman football player, she posted a 55-yard answer on social media.

With a 15-mile-per-hour breeze blowing across the field, Barch connected on a 55-yard field goal, which she posted to her Twitter account on Sunday.

Since then, the original clip has collected more than 24,000 likes, while receiving attention from ESPN’s SportsCenter and former NFL punter Pat McAfee.

According to a story on Barch's commitment to K-College by Jacob Herbert of C&G News, she began playing football in seventh grade and opened her senior season with Utica by kicking the game-winning field goal in a 37-34 victory over Bloomfield Hills.

A spokesperson for the Kalamazoo College athletic department recently confirmed that Barch’s arrival at the Hornets’ fall camp will make her the first woman to suit up for the Division III program, but it won’t be anything new for the talented place kicker, who was the only girl to compete at last summer’s Ray Guy Pro Kicker camp, where she registered an average kickoff distance of 51.50 yards and a long of 57.

Her average kickoff hang time at the camp was 3.09 seconds, with a long of 3.53, and she connected on 90 percent of her field goals.

As a punter, Barch's average boot covered 34.29 yards with an average hang time of 3.76 seconds. Her long punt at the camp was 38 yards, and the longest hang time was 4.16 seconds.

Kalamazoo College kicks off its 2020 football season on Saturday, Sept. 5 at home against Oberlin.

MORE: How a Paw Paw football player went from cheerleader to field goal kicker

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