Jan. 17, 2007

Orlando, Fla.- The dance squad for UIC--the Dancing Flames--made quite a splash at this weekend's Universal Dance Association National Championships in Orlando, Florida.

After grabbing the top spot after preliminaries the Dancing Flames--skippered by Toya McGill--held on to win the 2007 National Championship in Division I Hip Hop, besting Delaware, defending champion Hofstra, Southeastern Louisiana, Northern Arizona, St. Joseph's and Oakland in the Finals (complete results below).

"I don't even know if excited is the correct word," an ecstatic McGill said. "The last time the Dancing Flames won Nationals was 11 years ago. We were the underdog and it worked in our favor. We had the entire competition cheering us on.

"It felt so good to have UIC called `champions.' I am so proud of these ladies. They deserve it."

Fans can see the Dancing Flames and the entire sprit segment of UIC Athletics at home men's basketball games, including this weekend's tilt against Detroit at 1:00 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion.

SEMIFINALS
Order of Competition
Missouri State University
Southern Illinois University
Howard University
Fordham University
Oakland University - Advances to Finals
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Southeastern Louisiana University - Advances to Finals
James Madison University
California State University-Long Beach
University of Delaware - Advances to Finals
Saint Joseph's University - Advances to Finals
University of Illinois at Chicago - Advances to Finals
Hofstra University - Advances to Finals
St John's University
Northern Arizona University - Advances to Finals

FINAL RESULTS
1. University of Illinois at Chicago
2. University of Delaware
3. Hofstra University
4. Southeastern Louisiana University
5. Northern Arizona University
6. Saint Joseph's University
7. Oakland University