Four Spartans Collect United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Honors
12/3/2024 1:47:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Four Michigan State women's soccer players earned All-Region nods from the United Soccer Coaches, the organization announced Tuesday.
Graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor, junior defender Maggie Illig, graduate midfielder Meg Hughes and graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks were named to the All-North Region teams. Illig earns the first All-Region honor of her career, while Parks picks up her second and Gaynor and Hughes each collect their third.
Gaynor, a first-team selection for the second-straight year, is the second Spartan in program history to collect at least three All-Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches, joining four-time honoree and MSU Hall of Famer Laura (Heyboer) Heethius. The Shelby Township, Michigan, native was named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the third-consecutive season in 2024 and finishes her career in the Green and White ranked ninth in the MSU record books in assists with 20, 16th in points with 54 and 20th in total goals with 17. This season, she totaled 16 points from five goals and a team-leading six assists. All five of Gaynor's goals in 2024 were game winners.
Illig, who hails from Troy, Missouri, was named to the All-North Region Second Team after an impressive season on the Spartan backline. The junior played in all 22 matches for MSU this season, starting in 21, while helping the Spartans to 10 shutouts and an 0.861 goals-against average. She was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and totaled four points from a goal and pair of assists.
Hughes, a Third Team All-Region honoree, earns the third All-Region recognition of her career after collecting a pair of All-East Region honors at Providence. The Rochester, Massachusetts, native scored a team-leading 20 points this season from seven goals and six assists and started in 21 matches for the Spartans. She was named Second Team All-Big Ten at the conclusion of the regular season.
Parks, a Third Team All-Big Ten selection and All-Region Fourth Team honoree, collects her first All-Region award since 2021, where she was named to the All-Atlantic Region First Team. A native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Parks put her name in the MSU record books in just two seasons as Spartan, ranking fourth all-time in career goals-against average (0.97), fifth in total shutouts (16) and fifth in total wins (26). This season, she recorded a career-high 11 saves in a 1-0 shutout at then-No. 9 Penn State and posted a 0.827 save percentage. She also became the first goalkeeper in program history to score a goal with a converted penalty kick in MSU's 2-2 draw at Ohio State and was named Big Ten Player of the Week twice.
The Spartans posted a 14-3-5 (7-1-3 B1G) record in 2024 and were ranked every week in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. MSU earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year and advanced to its second-straight Sweet 16 to match a program-best finish.
