In a landslide vote that reflected the dominance of its regular season, UIC won four Midwest Independent Conference postseason awards.  Senior Mikailla Northern was named Senior Athlete of the Year, and won the inaugural Sylvia Keiter Memorial Award.  Sophomore Kayla Baddeley earned Athlete of the Year honors, and co-head coaches Peter and Mary Jansson won the Head Coach of the Year accolade.
 
Northern capped her remarkable career with the Senior Athlete of the Year honor, which recognized her accomplishments over the last four years.  Her decorated career includes the MIC Newcomer of the Year and Athlete of the Year awards, nine All-Conference selections, and 10 Gymnast of the Week honors.  She has 25 top-two finishes across the four events and the all-around this season, and seven scores of 39 or higher in the all-around.

Northern has qualified for NCAA Regionals in the all-around in each of her first three seasons and has been a MIC Scholar-Athlete every year.  She is the defending MIC champion on floor.  Throughout her career but especially as a senior, she has shown leadership and dedication in everything she does.

"Miki has never missed doing All-Around in any meet.  She is a true warrior, so demanding of herself yet encouraging of others, always staying late to get in extra reps, on top of succeeding in UIC's prestigious nursing program as an academic All-American!" Jansson reflected.
 
The Sylvia Keiter Memorial Award, established this season in memory of the former Centenary gymnast who was tragically killed while stopped to help a motorist in need, recognizes the athlete who best exemplifies the characteristics of work ethic, dedication, encouragement, loyalty, selflessness, leading vocally and by example, and making a positive impact on everyone she meets.  Miki exhibits all of these qualities in abundance.  Her comeback from thyroid cancer to once again become one of the MIC's best gymnasts speaks volumes about her dedication and work ethic.  But even as she adjusted to life without a thyroid, she never wavered in supporting her teammates, pushing herself and everyone around her to get better, all while succeeding in her nursing studies.

"There is no question Miki has been this team's rock," Jansson declared.  "She is the one to pull the girls together for a quick 'Flames on three' and always puts the team ahead of her personal gain.  She is such a great role model not just for gymnastics but for life.

"We wish that every team could have a Miki," Jansson summed up, "as she has taught all of us real, genuine meanings of how to face and embrace all that life gives us."
 
Baddeley, who won the Newcomer of the Year award last year, established an even higher level of performance as a sophomore.  She added a bars set and competed in the all-around in nine meets, finishing in the top two seven times.  She finished the season ranked first in the MIC on vault.  She was one of only two gymnasts to score 9.850 or higher at least once on every apparatus.  During a season in which the Flames received a plethora of first place finishes and career highs from the entire lineup, Baddeley was the team's highest finisher 21 times.

Ten Named Scholastic All-Conference Ten Flames were named to the MIC Scholastic All-Conference Team at the awards banquet Thursday night. Qualifications included a minimum GPA and progress towards one's degree. The Flames honored are: Ashley Albrecht Toni Alicke Allison Broad Abby Hasanov Kat Jakalski Riley Mahoney Maddie Nowak Mikailla Northern Alisa Sheremeta Jenna Squillo

"Kayla elevated her gymnastics to yet another level this year," Jansson said.  "She only knows one way to perform, and that is big!  But her technique and lines are simply beautiful to watch.  Kayla is one of the most focused, dynamic, and exciting gymnasts we have ever coached in our years at UIC, and she does so without ever expecting the spotlight to be on her as one of the most humble humans we have ever met."
 
The Janssons led UIC to one of the most successful regular seasons in school history.  This year's team shattered the previous single-season records for sustained excellence, winning 10 straight meets and scoring 195 or higher seven times.  The team's season average of 194.971 is seven tenths higher than the previous record.  The Flames currently have a National Qualifying Score of 195.340, second best in program history, and within the top 36 nationwide.

The Flames went undefeated in MIC competition.  They won the Illinois state championship, ending Illinois-Champaign's 11-year streak.  Five different Flames brought home 12 weekly MIC awards (Gymnast, Performance, and Newcomer of the Week).

Baddeley is the fifth Flame to win the Athlete of the Year award.  The Janssons are Coach of the Year for the third time.  UIC won four of the five awards for which it was eligible, and four of the six overall.  The Newcomer of the Year went to Anna Kaziska of Southeast Missouri, and the Assistant Coach of the Year is the Lindenwood staff.  As the Janssons serve as co-head coaches, UIC does not have an assistant coach.

The awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches, and presented to the respective winners at the MIC's annual banquet Thursday evening.  The conference championship meet, hosted by Centenary, will begin Friday at 6:00 pm.