EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's soccer players Raegan Cox, Justina Gaynor, and Emerson Sargeant have been named Big Ten Players to Watch, the league announced Tuesday.
The trio enters the season as the Spartans' returning All-Big Ten selections from 2022, with Gaynor earning First Team honors, Cox collecting Second Team honors and Sargeant being named to the league's All-Freshman Team.
Cox, a graduate defender from Muskegon, Michigan, earns her second preseason honor of 2023 with the selection, having already been named a Division I Defender to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches earlier this month. She started and played in 22 games for the Spartans in 2022, directing the Spartan backline to a conference-leading goals-against average (0.646) and fewest goals allowed (15).
In addition to her All-B1G nod in 2022, Cox picked up Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in the final week of the regular season and was named Second-Team All-North Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
Gaynor, a senior midfielder, joins Cox as the second Spartan to earn a pair of preseason honors in 2023 after being named a Division I Midfielder to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches. A native of Shelby Township, Michigan, Gaynor appeared and started in all 23 games for the Spartans last season, totaling 10 points split between four goals and two assists for the fourth-best point total on the team and second-best among 2023 returners.
Gaynor joined Cox on the 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team and earned a pair of National Team of the Week honors last season, collecting TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News honors on Sept. 27 and Nov. 15, respectively.
Sargeant became MSU's first player to land a spot on the conference's All-Freshman Team since 2019 in 2022 and ended the season as the 52nd-ranked freshman in TopDrawerSoccer's Top 100 Freshmen List. The Hartland, Michigan, native appeared in 19 games with 14 starts in the Spartan midfield last season and logged three assists in 1,251 minutes of play.
The conference also announced the preseason poll Tuesday, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Spartans were picked to finish fourth, with Penn State earning the top spot and Northwestern and Rutgers voted second and third, respectively. MSU enters the season as the defending Big Ten regular season champion after posting a 9-0-1 record in 2022.
Michigan State women's soccer opens the regular season on Thursday, August 17 against Cincinnati at DeMartin Stadium.
The trio enters the season as the Spartans' returning All-Big Ten selections from 2022, with Gaynor earning First Team honors, Cox collecting Second Team honors and Sargeant being named to the league's All-Freshman Team.
Cox, a graduate defender from Muskegon, Michigan, earns her second preseason honor of 2023 with the selection, having already been named a Division I Defender to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches earlier this month. She started and played in 22 games for the Spartans in 2022, directing the Spartan backline to a conference-leading goals-against average (0.646) and fewest goals allowed (15).
In addition to her All-B1G nod in 2022, Cox picked up Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in the final week of the regular season and was named Second-Team All-North Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
Gaynor, a senior midfielder, joins Cox as the second Spartan to earn a pair of preseason honors in 2023 after being named a Division I Midfielder to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches. A native of Shelby Township, Michigan, Gaynor appeared and started in all 23 games for the Spartans last season, totaling 10 points split between four goals and two assists for the fourth-best point total on the team and second-best among 2023 returners.
Gaynor joined Cox on the 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team and earned a pair of National Team of the Week honors last season, collecting TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News honors on Sept. 27 and Nov. 15, respectively.
Sargeant became MSU's first player to land a spot on the conference's All-Freshman Team since 2019 in 2022 and ended the season as the 52nd-ranked freshman in TopDrawerSoccer's Top 100 Freshmen List. The Hartland, Michigan, native appeared in 19 games with 14 starts in the Spartan midfield last season and logged three assists in 1,251 minutes of play.
The conference also announced the preseason poll Tuesday, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Spartans were picked to finish fourth, with Penn State earning the top spot and Northwestern and Rutgers voted second and third, respectively. MSU enters the season as the defending Big Ten regular season champion after posting a 9-0-1 record in 2022.
Michigan State women's soccer opens the regular season on Thursday, August 17 against Cincinnati at DeMartin Stadium.
