Jennifer Smith Deputy Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator/Compliance | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Jennifer Smith Deputy Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator/Compliance | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
For the second time this season, Michigan State's graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks has been recognized as the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week. The announcement was made by the conference on Tuesday.
This marks Parks' second Big Ten weekly award in her career and is the third overall for Michigan State in 2024. Her first selection this season was on September 24, and Justina Gaynor also received a defensive player of the week honor on August 20. Parks is among three goalkeepers in the Big Ten to have won this award multiple times this season, alongside Ohio State's Molly Pritchard and Iowa's Macy Enneking.
Parks contributed significantly to Michigan State's victories over Wisconsin and Northwestern last week, securing two wins with clean sheets. She made ten saves against Wisconsin, just one short of her career high, and stopped three shots against Northwestern. Hailing from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Parks has achieved six shutouts in Big Ten play and eight overall this season.
Her save percentage stands at 85.1%, ranking second in the league among goalkeepers who have played at least 75% of their team's games this season. In 2024, she maintains a goals-against average of 0.73.
Michigan State will host Purdue on Sunday, October 27 at DeMartin Stadium for its regular-season finale. The Big Ten quarterfinals are set for November 2 at Minnesota's Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.