Jackson State's Leilani Armenta to focus on football after becoming first woman to play in an HBCU game
Jackson State's Leilani Armenta, who made national headlines when she became the first woman to play in an HBCU football game this past season, is stepping away from soccer to focus on continuing as a place-kicker for the Tigers.
Armenta announced her decision on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.
“I would like to thank God, my parents and everyone who has supported me in my life," she wrote. "With that being said, I will be stepping away from soccer and pursuing collegiate football as a kicker. It has been my dream to play Division I football and playing for coach T.C. Taylor has been a blessing. I am very thankful for the opportunity to continue pursuing my football career at Jackson State University and I would like to thank the Tiger family for supporting me and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the JSU football program. Go Tigers!"
Armenta made HBCU, SWAC and Jackson State history by becoming the first woman to play in a Division I football game when she kicked off to open the Tigers' game against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 23.
LEILANI ARMENTA'S PATH TO JACKSON: How a female kicker ended up at Jackson State to make college football history
On Oct. 28, Armenta became the first woman to score in an HBCU, SWAC and Jackson State football game when she converted three point-after kicks against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. She was selected Southwestern Athletic Conference special teams player of the week.
Armenta, a freshman, was redshirting as a member of the Jackson State women’s soccer team while rehabbing from an ACL injury suffered in her senior year at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California.
When the football team lost two kickers to injuries, Taylor approached women's soccer coach Ted Flogaites to see if there was a member of his team who could handle kicking duties for the football team. Flogaites recommended Armenta, and she appeared in the Tigers' game the next week.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State's Leilani Armenta to focus on football, leave soccer
