Manitowoc Lincoln senior Ava Quinchia has been involved in and played sports ever since she can remember, but football is her true passion, and she’ll now get to play it in college.
Quinchia has decided to play flag football at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. She made her official visit on April 24th and will make it official when she signs her letter of intent on Tuesday morning (May 5th) in the Lincoln High School auditorium.
At age two, Ava started attending her father’s (Michael’s) semipro games, throwing the ball around and helping during warm-ups, learning the game firsthand.
She calls her dad one of the biggest positive influences in her life, always pushing her to do her best and work hard to earn everything she wants.
She played her first flag football game in the fifth grade and her first tackle football game in the eighth grade.
Ava also competed on an AAU team during her sophomore and junior years of high school, and participated in high school powder puff games and the 2025 NFL Flag Open in Green Bay.
She says all these experiences pushed her to improve her skills and compete with positive intensity, not only making her a better athlete, but most importantly, a better person.
She will play quarterback for UW-Parkside and takes pride in her strong arm, leadership, and understanding of the game.
Quinchia is the first female from Manitowoc and the second from Wisconsin to receive such an officer.
