CHICAGO – The University of Illinois at Chicago will hold its third annual December commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the UIC Pavilion and several members of the Flames family will be celebrating the end of outstanding academic and athletic careers at UIC.
"Graduation represents the culmination of so much hard work and dedication that all of our student-athletes put forth here at UIC," said Director of Athletics
Garrett Klassy. "This weekend this group of distinguished Flames will receive a diploma from one of the top research universities in the world, and the endless possibilities that come with it. We are so proud of all that they have accomplished and look forward to watching them make our world a better place.
"My hope is that no matter where life takes them, they know that they will always have a home at UIC," added Klassy.
In total, 12 Flames will graduate from UIC this weekend:
Carli Benson - Women's Track & Field - Psychology
Michael Crepeau – Men's Track & Field – Finance
Yuri Domiciano – Men's Soccer – Management
Alyssa Ehrhardt – Volleyball – Accounting
Olivia Everin – Women's Soccer – Biological Sciences
Teagan Hough – Women's Track & Field – Criminology, Law and Justice
Nicole Johnson – Volleyball – Biochemistry
Joel Leon – Men's Soccer - Criminology, Law and Justice
Andrew Putna – Men's Soccer - Criminology, Law and Justice
Sasha Simon – Men's Soccer – Civil Engineering
Jacob Thurber – Men's Gymnastics - Criminology, Law and Justice
Terri Bender – Women's Basketball – Master of Education: Instructional Leadership
Joel Leon was the 2017 Horizon League Tournament's Most Valuable Player and a First Team All-Horizon League member as a crucial defensive member of the men's soccer team. Leon was also awarded Third Team All-Great Lakes Region following this, his senior season.
Sasha Simon also graduates as a member of the men's soccer team, appearing in nine games while making two starts this season. During his time at UIC, Simon has amassed nearly 2,000 minutes of play, while also making 11 career starts.
Arguably one of the Flames' top all-time goaltenders,
Andrew Putna graduates UIC after a highly decorated collegiate career that resulted in being drafted by the MLS' Real Salt Lake and signing a contract with their USL affiliate Real Monarchs. Putna left his mark on several UIC records, while also reeling in awards like Horizon League Freshman of the Year (2013) and Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year (2013, 2016).
Yuri Domiciano was a member of the UIC men's soccer squad that won the Horizon League Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, appearing in eight games and netting one goal. Domiciano continues to devote time to UIC athletics as a marketing and game operations assistant.
Nicole Johnson became the all-time career assists leader for the UIC volleyball team this season, wrapping up her career with 4,698 assists. Johnson was awarded Horizon League Freshman of the Year, and was also an All-Horizon League Team and All-Horizon League Newcomer Team selection in 2014.
In her two seasons with the volleyball team,
Alyssa Ehrhardt amassed nearly 700 kills, over 500 digs and was a voted Horizon League Offensive Player of the week twice during her time with the Flames. Ehrhardt was the Most Valuable Player at the UIC Invitational (2015), Redhawks Invitational (2016) and DePaul Invitational (2016) and was also a member of the All-Tournament Team at the JAX Classic (2016).
As a member of UIC's inaugural women's soccer team,
Olivia Everin proved herself diligent on the field as well as in the classroom, as a two-time member of the Horizon League All-Academic team as well as a two-time All-Horizon League Second Team member. The Ada, Mich. native accumulated 25 points (7G, 11A) and took just over 100 shots during her time in a Flames jersey.
Carli Benson specialized in jumps on the track and field team at UIC. Her best mark in the triple jump, 36'9.25", came at the Illinois Twilight on April 22, 2017, when she finished fourth overall in the event. Her top javelin throw also came that day with a distance of 107'7".
Teagan Hough departs UIC as a member of the track and field team, where she competed in sprints, hurdles, long jump, javelin and shot put. Hough was a member of the winning relay team in the 4x100 at the 2017 Crusader Open that went on to place fourth in the Horizon League Championships.
Michael Crepeau was a decorated competitor in track and field for the Flames. He was a multi-event specialist and placed third in the decathlon at the 2017 Horizon League Outdoor Championships. During that event, he won the 100 meter dash, 400 meter dash, and shot put. Crepeau also finished fourth in the heptathlon at the 2017 Horizon League Indoor Championships with wins in the 60 meter dash and 1K.
Jacob Thurber represented the Flames at the NCAA Championships in 2015 on vault as well as in 2016 on floor. Thurber was awarded Rookie of the Week on Jan. 22, 2014 during his freshman season, and graduates from UIC with a degree in Criminology, Law and Justice.
UIC women's basketball's all-time assist leader
Terri Bender received her master's degree in Educational Leadership on Saturday, departing from UIC after making a big imprint on the women's basketball program. Bender was a two-time All-Horizon League Defensive Team member and was the 21st member of UIC's 1,000 points club and was just the sixth player in program history to make 100 starts.
