Michigan State University Athletics
11/3/2026 4:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer
East Lansing, Mich. -- The Big Ten Conference announced its women's soccer postseason honors on Tuesday, and among those honored are a record seven Michigan State players.
The Spartans placed four athletes on the first team for the second straight season and the third time in five years: unanimous selections Kennedy Bell (Forward, Charlotte, NC) and Kayla Briggs (Midfielder, Toronto, Ontario), along with repeat selection Emerson Sargeant (Forward, Hartland, Mich.) and first-time honoree Renee Watson (Midfielder, Toronto, Ontario). Senior Bella Najera (Midfielder, St. Charles, Ill.) earned second-team honors, junior Kaleigh McPherson (Midfielder, St. Charles, Mo.) was named to the third team, and senior Ella Janz (Midfielder, Novi, Mich.) was named MSU's Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Bell, Briggs, Sargeant, and Najera are all repeat All-Big Ten performers. Both Briggs and Bell earn league accolades for the second time, Sargeant is a three-time recipient, and Najera joins Laura Heyboer (2008-11) as the only four-time All-Big Ten selections in program history. McPherson and Watson all earn All-Big Ten honors for the first time, but McPherson (2024), Najera (2023) and Sargeant (2022) were all All-Freshman Team honorees as freshmen. Najera was also the 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
MSU's seniors have already rewritten several parts of Michigan State's single-season and career scoring record books. Bell is a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection for the second straight season, producing 25 points (22nd in the MSU record book) through the regular season on eight goals and nine assists, owning or sharing the team lead in all categories as well as boasting the second-highest total in the Big Ten in both goals and assists. Bell's 54 career points in Green and White over two seasons (43 games) rank 18th in points, 19th in goals (19) and 17th in assists (16).
Briggs also repeats as a first team pick. She is tied atop the team leaderboard in assists (9) and is third in the Big Ten in game-winning goals (4), one shy of the five she produced in 2025, and has an assist on three others. All seven of her goals in 2026 have served as MSU's first of the game, and she ranks 27th in a single season with 23 points to match her 2025 output. She is 26th in MSU career points (46), and 17th in career assists, tied with Bell.
Sargeant has earned All-Big Ten honors three times, starting with second-team kudos in 2023 before losing most of the 2024 campaign to injury. She earned first-team honors last year and repeats that as a senior in 2026. Despite missing a pair of games to injury, Sargeant has posted six goals and 16 points this year, and is tied with Briggs with four game-winners. She ranks 17th all-time among MSU's career points leaders, with 56; she has 18 goals (20th) and 20 assists (ninth). She is the sixth Spartan to earn All-Big Ten honors three times in her career.
Najera is one of MSU's most dynamic mainstays over her four seasons in East Lansing, and she and Sargeant are tied with 87 career appearances in Green and White – the versatile midfielder has 82 career starts in that time, and Sargeant boasts 81. The school record in both categories is 90 games. 'Big-game Bella' has developed a well-earned reputation for timely, significant goals for MSU, and her senior season has delivered more of those moments - including the game-winning goal in an early road clash at No. 7 North Carolina, as well as an 86th-minute game-winner on the road at Illinois. She is the most prolific scorer in the tenure of Jeff Hosler – she ranks ninth all-time in career points (73), 10th in goals (27), and 12th in assists (19). In 2026, she has nine points on two goals and five assists. Najera earned third-team honors in both 2023 and 2024 and is a second-team honoree for the second straight season.
Watson has delivered four years of steady play for MSU in whichever role she's been tasked with – and her versatility has required her to play many. Entering the postseason, she has two goals and two assists over MSU's last four games, including her late game-winner against Maryland and the setup of the game-winner at Northwestern. She has 10 points this season (3g, 4a) after a career-best 13 points as a junior; in 75 career games, she owns a 7-9-23 scoring line.
McPherson earns All-Big Ten honors for the first time in her career. She started every game as a junior and has started 54 of her 65 games. This season, she has a pair of assists and averages 73 minutes per game as a holding mid and a key piece of MSU's transition and distribution.
Janz, MSU's Sportsmanship Award honoree, has started all 16 games she has played this season and has contributed career bests in all offensive categories (3-3-9). She delivered maybe MSU's most memorable goal of the non-conference season when she headed home the game-tying tally with four seconds remaining on the road at Notre Dame. The legacy Spartan joined the team as a walk-on in 2023, earned her place in the starting lineup as a senior, and has appeared in 57 total games in her career.
The Big Ten Tournament begins on Wednesday in St. Louis, and Michigan State begins its postseason journey on Thursday when it plays Washington on Thursday at 5 pm ET/4 pm CT.
Forward of the Year
Jaiden Anderson, Jr., Purdue
Midfielder of the Year
Amanda Schlueter, Sr., Ohio State
Defender of the Year
Ava Bramblett, Sr., Ohio State
Goalkeeper of the Year
Peighton Northrup, Sr., Ohio State
Freshman of the Year
Lilia Calvert, Fr., Rutgers
Coach of the Year
Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State
First Team All-Big Ten
Ella Jablinsky, Jr., F, Michigan
KENNEDY BELL, SR., F, MICHIGAN STATE
Emerson Sargeant, Sr., F, Michigan State
Aubrey Kulpa, Jr., F, Penn State
Jaiden Anderson, Jr., F, Purdue
Alex Buck, Jr., F, Washington
KAYLA BRIGGS, SR., M, MICHIGAN STATE
AMANDA SCHLUETER, SR., M, OHIO STATE
Grace Shank, So., M, UCLA
Renee Watson, Sr., D, Michigan State
AVA BRAMBLETT, SR., D, OHIO STATE
Paloma Daubert, Jr., D, UCLA
Maya Loudd, Sr., D, Washington
Hailey Baumann, Sr., D, Wisconsin
Peighton Northrup, Sr., GK, Ohio State
ALL CAPS denotes unanimous selection
Second Team All-Big Ten
Berit Parten, Jr., F, Iowa
Ava Westlund, Sr., F, Minnesota
Elle Britt, Sr., F, Ohio State
Kara Croone, Jr., F, UCLA
Lilley Bosley, Sr., M, Michigan
Bella Najera, Sr., M, Michigan State
Ava Greco, Jr., M, Ohio State
Paige Kalal, Sr., M, Penn State
Irene Campo, Sr., M, Purdue
Megan Santa Cruz, Sr., M, Purdue
Oruha Hayashi, Sr., M, UCLA
Erin Connolly, Sr., M, Wisconsin
Micayla Decker, So., D, Ohio State
Nette-Nina Hiltunen, Sr.,D, Ohio State
Kayleigh Herr, R-Sr., D, Penn State
Anna Menti, Sr., D, Washington
Izzy Lee, 5th-Yr., GK, Illinois
Third Team All-Big Ten
Jadin Bonham, Jr., F, Ohio State
McKenzie Carle, Jr., F, Purdue L
Leena Powell, So., F, UCLA
Kaleigh McPherson, Jr., M, Michigan State
Lilia Calvert, Fr., M, Rutgers
Izy Traub, Fr., M, Wisconsin
Ella Guyott, Sr., D, Nebraska
Lily Boyden, Gr., D, Penn State
Tanna Schornstein, Jr., D, Purdue
Asa Yamazaki, Jr., D, UCLA
Kiara Gilmore, So., D, Wisconsin
Avery Gillahan, Sr., GK, Nebraska
All-Freshman Team
Melisa Kekic, Fr., F, Michigan
Ellie Kocher, Fr., F, Penn State
Jane Rogers, Fr., F, Wisconsin
Andrea Lu, R-Fr., M, Ohio State
Paige Pasinski, Fr., M, Penn State
Lilia Calvert, Fr., M, Rutgers
Izy Traub, Fr., M, Wisconsin
Torah Betteridge, Fr., D, Michigan
Emma Donnelly, Fr., D, Nebraska
Anna Wilson, Fr., D, UCLA
Josie Biehl, Fr., GK, USC
2026 Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Cailynn Junk, 5th-Yr., Illinois
Kennedy Neighbors, Sr., Indiana
Alli Macke, So., Iowa
Gemma Davitian, Jr., Maryland
Adi Walick, Jr., Michigan
Ella Janz, Sr., Michigan State
Taylor Heimerl, Sr., Minnesota
Rin Sato, 5th-Yr., Nebraska
Caroline Roy, Sr., Northwestern
Berkley Mape, Sr., Ohio State
Cailin Bloom, Gr., Oregon
Lily Boyden, Gr., Penn State
Lauren Adam, Sr., Purdue
Olivia Bodmer, 5th-Yr., Rutgers
Lynette Bryant, Gr., UCLA
Lily Biddulph, Jr., USC
Taylor Thomas, 5th-Yr., Washington
Megan Cornell, Sr., Wisconsin
