LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The UIC softball team has been recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as an Easton/NFCA Academic Team, the organization announced on Wednesday. The award is the eighth-straight for the program.

Additionally, seven Flames earned Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete status – Claire Crane, Karissa Frazier, Alyssa Griman, Marley Hanlon, Maddie Spinks, Emily Wetzel and Jasmine Willis. Willis picked up the award all four years as a Flame, maintaining a perfect 4.000 grade point average through the entirety of her career, while Alyssa Griman grabbed her third-straight honor and Karissa Frazier took home her second. Hanlon, Crane, Spinks and Wetzel were all first-time honorees.

The Flames were one of 140 Division-I teams to record a team GPA of 3.000 or higher in the 2018-19 season, putting together a 3.297 GPA as a squad. UIC was the Horizon League's second-highest team on the list, trailing Cleveland State (3.430), while finishing ahead of Northern Kentucky (3.280) and Green Bay (3.242).

Including this year's seven honorees, UIC has totaled 54 total Easton Scholar-Athlete honorees in the last eight years. This year the NFCA recognized a record-breaking 8,161 athletes, with 1,769 coming from Division-I programs. Athletes must achieve a GPA of 3.500 for the year or higher to receive the award.