May 21, 2024
Flames Faithful,
We've just wrapped up another exciting academic year filled with many outstanding achievements by our 300 scholar-athletes and 18 varsity sports programs. Let's take a look at some recent memorable moments and look ahead to a busy summer on the UIC campus.
PUTTING THE SCHOLAR IN SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
We're proud to share that UIC Athletics achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.35 in Spring 2024, marking a school-record 20th consecutive semester of a 3.0+ GPAs. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all Flames scholar-athletes over the past decade. All 18 varsity sports earned team GPAs above 3.0 this spring, with women's golf (3.78) and men's tennis (3.54) posting earning top marks among women's and men's sports, respectively. Special shoutout to the 59 Flames who posted perfect 4.0 GPAs this spring!
Last fall, UIC registered a school-record 93% Graduation Success Rate (GSR), the eighth consecutive year of rising graduation rates for Flames scholar-athletes. The Flames Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) for scholar-athletes was 77% (15% higher than the general student graduation rate of 62%), and we anticipate similar indicators of UIC Athletics' scholastic excellence with the NCAA's annual release of Academic Progress Report (APR) scores in the coming weeks.
CUTTING THE RIBBON ON THE NEW HOME FOR FLAMES SOFTBALL
April 27 was a truly special day for our softball scholar-athletes, as we officially dedicated the Sandra M. Wichelecki and Suzanne M. Dukes UIC Flames Softball Clubhouse. Sandy is a 1983 UIC graduate and a pioneer for our softball program, playing from 1979-82. She and Suzanne made the largest donation to a women's sport in school history (as well as the largest by a former female student-athlete) in leading the development of the new clubhouse that bears their names.
Our alumni brought the energy today! Thank you all who came out to cheer on our flames ?? #ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/3oZ0W9gYT5
— UIC Softball ???? (@UIC_Softball) April 28, 2024
How special it was to start our day today with the dedication of the Sandra M. Wichelecki and Suzanne M. Dukes UIC Flames Softball Clubhouse! ????#ChicagosCollegeTeam | #FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/6mIM5OOvQv
— UIC Softball ???? (@UIC_Softball) April 27, 2024
The clubhouse dedication was part of a larger Alumni Weekend for our UIC softball program, as we welcomed back more than 100 alums and their families, including Coach McGovern and nearly the entire 1994 Women's College World Series team. It was wonderful to have everyone back on campus and we are grateful to all of our Flames for their continued support! DONATE HERE to help make the new clubhouse all it can be for our Flames softball scholar-athletes.
YEAR TWOIN THE VALLEY
The 2023-24 season is our second in the Missouri Valley Conference and several teams are making their mark. Six UIC programs — men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, women's golf, women's tennis, and baseball — finished in the top four of their respective MVC standings. Both soccer programs, volleyball and women's tennis advanced to the semifinals of their respective conference tournaments. Baseball opens play in the MVC Tournament this week.
Women's Basketball earned a second consecutive postseason berth for the first time in program history and played in the WNIT for the first time since 2007. The Flames also set a school record by averaging 1,276 fans per game this season, including seven crowds of 1,000 fans or more (the most for UIC in the past decade). During head coach Ashleen Bracey's two seasons, UIC women's basketball has seen its attendance increase by 215%! If you haven't yet come out for the action at Credit Union 1 Arena, make your plans now by securing season tickets for the 2024-25 season.
Secure your 2024-25 season tickets here!
DIAMOND FLAMES
Baseball had a terrific regular season and tied for fourth in the MVC. The team reached the 30-win mark faster than any Flames' team since 2017. We also went 3-1 against Big Ten Conference teams and 5-2 against power conference programs this year… with all but one of those games being played away from home. Good luck to Coach Sean McDermott and the UIC Baseball team as they open MVC Tournament play on Tuesday as the No. 5 seed in Evansville this week.
A special shoutout to Kendal Ewell, who was named the MVC Player and Newcomer of the Year on Monday night, our first baseball conference player of the year since 2017. Kendal was one of six Flames who earned all-conference recognition at the MVC awards banquet — congratulations to each of our honorees!
We also enjoyed this month celebrating the 10th anniversary of Curtis Granderson Stadium, which opened in 2014 and is widely celebrated for having among the best skyline views in college baseball.
Thanks @cgrand3 for throwing the first pitch at today's game! We are thrilled to be celebrating 10 years of Curtis Granderson Stadium!#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/4iiMfNnhZH
— UIC Baseball ???? (@UIC_Baseball) May 11, 2024
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING COMING HOME TO THE VALLEY
The MVC announced on April 11 that it will once again sponsor men's swimming & diving as a conference sport beginning in 2024-25. Our Flames have competed the past two years as affiliate members in the Mid-American Conference alongside other Valley schools. We appreciate the partnership of the MAC, which will continue to serve as the home conference for our men's tennis program.
Led by head coach Ashley Dell, UIC posted a fourth-place finish at this year's MAC Championships, featuring stellar performances by Harrison Nolan (MAC Outstanding Diver of the Year) and Christian Curtis (MAC Freshman Diver of the Year). Harrison then led a school-record five Flames who competed at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, with he and Cole Tremewan becoming the first UIC divers to reach the finals in both springboard events at the NCAA Zones (and Harrison's 10th-place finish on the one-meter board the best in school history). Associate head coach/head diving coach Susan Bromberg was deservingly named Diving Coach of the Year in both the MVC and the MAC!
A HISTORIC SEASON ON THE LINKS
Congratulations to first-year head coach Angela Rayhill and the Flames women's golf team on a truly outstanding season. UIC finished in the top three in eight of their 10 tournaments, culminating with a runner-up finish at the MVC Championships last month outside St. Louis.
— UIC Women's Golf ???? (@UIC_WGOLF) April 15, 2024Always competing ??
??: https://t.co/y1yFWyGvV0#ChicagosCollegeTeam | @MVCsports pic.twitter.com/HES8xNn58B
Two of our veterans placed in the top 10 at the conference tournament — Dasa Urbankova (5th) and Brooke Beyer (9th) — with Dasa going on to earn a spot on the all-conference and all-tournament teams. Dasa was a five-time MVC Golfer of the Week this year (most of any conference scholar-athlete) and won a school-record three tournament titles, along with three other top-five finishes.
In addition, Brooke was selected as UIC's Spring 2024 recipient of the MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award, a fitting honor for our outgoing SAAC President, who helped lead that organization to new heights during the 2023-24 season.
ROB EHSAN INTRODUCED AS MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
UIC entered a new era for its men's basketball program on April 1 with the introduction of head coach Rob Ehsan. Coach Ehsan has 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, including stops at three power conference programs (Maryland, Virginia Tech and Stanford), and a successful four-year run as head coach at UAB from 2016-20.
Coach Ehsan and his staff are passionate and dedicated to elevating Flames basketball and have been working tirelessly this spring to build a talented roster to fit their exciting style of play.
Now is the perfect time to get your tickets for the 2024-25 season. Season ticket deposits are currently being accepted, including the opportunity for courtside seats that put you right in the middle of the action at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Both men's and women's basketball non-conference schedules are nearly finalized, so look for individual home and away game announcements this summer, before the full Missouri Valley Conference schedule is released by the league in September.
SUPPORT UIC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES THROUGH THE CHICAGO COLLECTIVE
One of the best ways for UIC fans to support Flames scholar-athletes and their name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities is through contributions to The Chicago Collective. Your support has never been more critical for UIC to remain competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Contributions to The Chicago Collective show current and prospective scholar-athletes that UIC is supported by a passionate and engaged fanbase committed to comprehensive excellence. Get involved today at TheChicagoCollective.com.
FLAMES CONTINUE LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIPS
Earlier this spring, UIC Athletics announced the renewal of two key partnerships with five-year extensions to the agreements with the Chicago Masters Swim Club and the Chicago Baseball and Educational Academy (CBEA). Both organizations have been tremendous supporters of UIC Athletics and we are grateful for their contributions to the success of our Flames swimming & diving and baseball programs.
A special word of thanks goes out to Chicago Masters Swim Club president Bob Lewis and CBEA founder/president (and UIC Athletics legend) Curtis Granderson for their vision and leadership. We look forward to continuing our relationship with these outstanding organizations for many years to come.
THE SPARKYS 2024
One of the signature events on our annual UIC Athletics calendar is THE SPARKYS and this year's red-carpet celebration of Flames excellence on April 21 at the Dorin Forum was another incredible success. The passion and enthusiasm shown by our scholar-athletes was infectious and you'd be hard-pressed to find a single person who attended the event that didn't walk out with a huge smile on their face. Special thanks to ESPN/NBC/Big Ten Network broadcaster Meghan McKeown for being a fabulous emcee for this year's event.
THE MVC COMES TO CHICAGO
The Flames are proud to host the 2024 MVC Spring Meetings from May 28-31. Representatives from each of our 11 league peers will be on campus at the end of the month for a productive week of league business meetings.
CELEBRATING OUR GRADUATES
UIC held its second annual Scholar-Athlete Graduation Breakfast on April 29 to celebrate the accomplishments of the 62 Flames who earned their degrees this spring. We were privileged to not only recognize their successes but also to present them with special Scholar-Athlete stoles that they were able to wear during their respective Commencement exercises earlier this month.
— UIC Flames ?? (@UICFlames) April 29, 2024We had a great time celebrating our senior class at this morning's Graduation Breakfast!
Congrats to the Class of 2024!#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/aQuZ9J5qQm
These 62 individuals, along with the 13 scholar-athletes who received their diplomas back in December, are shining examples of the importance of college athletics in delivering a holistic experience that blends the values of teamwork and dedication in competition with a world-class education from one of the nation's finest institutions. Congratulations to each of our 75 scholar-athlete graduates! UIC will always be your home and we look forward to seeing you return often to campus in the years to come.
On behalf of our Flames Family of scholar-athletes, coaches, and staff, thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a wonderful summer… and Fire Up, Flames!
Michael Lipitz
Director of Athletics
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