Michigan State’s Maggie Illig and Emerson Sargeant Earn Scholar All-American Honors After Historic Season
It’s been a banner year for Michigan State women’s soccer, and two of the program’s cornerstones-Maggie Illig and Emerson Sargeant-just added another accolade to their already impressive résumés. The United Soccer Coaches named Illig a First Team Scholar All-American and Sargeant to the Third Team, recognizing not just their elite play on the field but their excellence in the classroom.
To even be considered for this honor, players need to meet a high bar: junior status or higher, a minimum 3.40 GPA, and a consistent presence on the pitch-at least 75% of games played. Oh, and you also have to be one of the best in the country. Illig and Sargeant checked every box.
These two have been at the heart of MSU’s rise since arriving in East Lansing in 2022, helping deliver back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2022 and 2023 and leading the Spartans to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances-something no other class in program history has accomplished. Each of the last four seasons included at least one NCAA Tournament win, capped off by a run to the Elite Eight in 2025. That’s a legacy that’s going to be hard to top.
Maggie Illig: The Defensive Anchor with Brains and Bite
Illig, a Kinesiology grad with a jaw-dropping 3.963 GPA, has been the Spartans’ defensive rock. She’s earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times and was recently named to the CSC Academic All-America Third Team.
On the field, she was just as dominant, anchoring a back line that posted 10 shutouts and held opponents to one goal or fewer in 21 of 25 games. That’s a 1.15 goals-against average with two first-year goalkeepers behind her-no small feat.
But Illig wasn’t just locking things down in the back. She also stepped up offensively in 2025, scoring a career-best three goals and finishing with seven points-matching her total output from her first three seasons combined. Her all-around impact earned her a spot on the preseason Hermann Trophy Watch List, which goes to the best player in college soccer, and she backed it up with a Third Team All-America nod and repeat All-Big Ten and All-Region honors.
Emerson Sargeant: The Comeback Catalyst
Sargeant’s story this season is one of resilience. After an injury cut short her 2024 campaign, she returned in 2025 and helped power one of the best offensive seasons in MSU history.
Starting all 25 games, she tallied a career-high eight goals-four of them game-winners-and added 19 total points. Those numbers put her in the top 10 in the Big Ten in both categories and landed her in the MSU record books for single-season game-winners.
Her efforts earned her First Team All-Big Ten honors and a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, as well as Second Team All-Region recognition from the United Soccer Coaches. And while she was lighting it up on the field, she was also getting it done in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten for the third straight year and being named to the CSC Academic All-District team. The Marketing major just finished her undergraduate degree and will begin her master’s program in January.
Looking Ahead: Spartans Set for a Strong 2026
Michigan State wrapped up the 2025 season with a 15-4-6 record, falling just short of the Final Four in a hard-fought quarterfinal against top-ranked Stanford. The Spartans finished second in the Big Ten regular season and pushed league champ Washington to the limit in the tournament final, ultimately falling in penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Their No. 7 national ranking in the final poll is the highest in program history-and there’s reason to believe they’re just getting started. With 18 players returning, including nine starters, and the No. 8 recruiting class on its way, the foundation is strong. And with Sargeant back to lead the charge in 2026, Michigan State looks poised to keep climbing.
Illig and Sargeant’s Scholar All-American honors are a testament to what this program has become under their leadership: a team that competes at the highest level and does it the right way, on and off the field.