Six Spartans were honored by the Big Ten in winning 2025 Women’s Soccer Postseason Honors. Michigan State's honorees match the program's record for number of All-Big Ten selections in a season, a record set in 2022. A total of 18 Spartans have earned All-Big Ten postseason selections since head coach Jeff Hosler took the reins in 2021.
Junior forward Kennedy Bell won Big Ten Forward of the Year, leading the conference in both goals scored (10) and points earned (25). She is the second Spartan to ever receive this award, after Lauren DeBeau in 2022. Bell’s 10 goals is the highest tally for a Spartan since DeBeau’s 11 in 2022. Bell was also selected to the First Team All-Big Ten, one of just two players to be selected unanimously.
Joining Bell on the first team were redshirt-junior forward Emerson Sargeant, junior midfielder Kayla Briggs and senior defender Maggie Illig. It was a first selection for both Briggs and Bell, who have come into the spotlight since transferring to MSU. Sargeant and Illig have both been named second team in previous years.
Briggs leads the team in assists, with seven, which ranks second in the Big Ten. Her five goals rank second on the team in a three-way tie. Also sharing this record is Sargeant, who had a comeback season for the ages. Sargeant added three assists this season, bringing her career assists to 16, which ties her for 15th all-time in the MSU record book.
Illig not only anchored the backline this season but also scored three goals and added one assist, making it her most successful season by far from an attacking standpoint. She was the most decorated Spartan in the preseason, being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch and Big Ten Players to Watch. Evidently, she did not disappoint.
Junior midfielder Bella Najera was named to the second team, with her five goals also tied for second among Spartans. Najera won Freshman of the Year in 2023 and was selected to the third team both in 2023 and 2024. She ranks third on the team in points with 15. Najera’s 22 career goals put her in 14th place in the Spartan record books, as well as her 14 career assists being tied for 20th.
Senior defender Remini Tillotson was named MSU’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner. The award is given to one player on each Big Ten team and recognizes student-athletes who demonstrate sportsmanship, ethical behavior, good academic standing and citizenship. Tillotson played an important role throughout the season, scoring one goal and appearing in all 19 games. Her penalty kick against USC in September was the lone goal of her collegiate career. She earned her season-high minutes against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
MSU will travel to St. Louis to face UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m. They will look to build on their strong postseason recognition and continue their push toward a conference title.
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