Maggie Illig Caps Stellar Career with Academic All-America Honors, Cementing Her Legacy at Michigan State
In a program that’s been on a steady rise, senior defender Maggie Illig just added another milestone to Michigan State women’s soccer history. The Troy, Missouri native has been named an Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC), becoming just the fifth Spartan ever to earn the prestigious honor-and the latest to prove that excellence at Michigan State extends well beyond the pitch.
Illig’s recognition puts her in elite company, joining former Spartan standouts Laura Heyboer (2011), Gabrielle Garuder (2015), Ruby Diodati (2022), and Justina Gaynor (2023, 2024). And she’s not alone in representing MSU academically this season-Kennedy Bell, Mimi Hallier, Bella Najera, Emerson Sargeant, and Renee Watson also earned Academic All-District distinction for 2025.
But Illig's story stands out. A 3.963 student who graduated in December with a degree in Kinesiology, she’s been a model of consistency and leadership for the Spartans.
She’s a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has now earned Academic All-District recognition twice. What sets her apart, though, is how seamlessly she balanced elite academics with top-tier performance on the field.
In 2025, Illig anchored a Spartan defense that was among the best in the country. Michigan State posted 10 shutouts and gave up one goal or fewer in 21 of its 25 matches.
That kind of defensive consistency doesn’t happen by accident-especially with two first-year goalkeepers behind her. Illig’s leadership and composure were the glue holding that backline together, helping the Spartans finish with a 1.15 goals-against average.
And while defense was her calling card, Illig found another gear offensively in her senior season. She scored three goals-matching her total from her first three years combined-and added seven points, showing she could impact the game on both ends of the field.
Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Illig was named to multiple preseason watch lists, including the Big Ten Players to Watch, United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch, and the prestigious Hermann Trophy Watch List, which highlights the top players in collegiate soccer. By season’s end, she had earned third-team All-America honors, along with repeat selections to the All-Big Ten and United Soccer Coaches All-North Region teams.
Her career résumé is as complete as it gets. Over four seasons in East Lansing, Illig played in 81 games-fifth-most in program history-and started 63 of her final 66 appearances.
She was a fixture in the lineup, starting all 25 games in her senior campaign. Along the way, she helped the Spartans capture two Big Ten titles (2022, 2023) and become the first MSU women’s soccer class to reach the NCAA Tournament four years in a row.
And they didn’t just make the tournament-they made noise. Michigan State won at least one NCAA Tournament match in each of Illig’s seasons, culminating in an Elite Eight run in 2025. That followed back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2023 and 2024, a stretch that firmly established the Spartans as a national contender.
The 2025 season ended with a hard-fought quarterfinal loss to top-ranked Stanford, but it was a campaign to remember. Michigan State went 15-4-6, finished second in the Big Ten regular season, and battled league champion Washington to a 1-1 draw in the Big Ten Tournament final, narrowly falling in penalties. When the final national rankings dropped, the Spartans landed at No. 7-the highest end-of-season ranking in program history.
Looking ahead, MSU is poised to keep the momentum going. Eighteen players return in 2026, including nine starters, and they’ll be joined by the nation’s No. 8 recruiting class.
But no matter how bright the future looks, Maggie Illig’s impact will be felt for years to come. She leaves behind a legacy built on leadership, academic excellence, and relentless consistency-a blueprint for what it means to be a Spartan.