During an emotional ceremony at the annual USA Gymnastics Awards Banquet, UIC was honored as a team and individually for their accomplishments in and out of the gym this season.

Senior Mikailla Northern was the recipient of the Mari-Rae Sopper award, named for the former gymnast and coach and given each year to the athlete who exhibits Sopper's passion, dedication, and devotion to gymnastics.  Northern has exhibited those qualities in abundance, as she has come back from two knee injuries and thyroid cancer, returning to first-place form each time.  At the same time, she has been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement for her teammates.  Earlier this season, Northern won the MIC Senior Athlete of the Year and was named a finalist for the AAI Award.

Sopper was a Chicago-area native who became an All-American at Iowa State.  She coached at Navy and George Washington while practicing as an attorney.  She left her law firm to take the head coaching job at UC-Santa Barbara - knowing all the while that the program would be discontinued at the end of the season.  Sopper died in the 9/11 attacks on American Flight 77, which was to have taken her from Washington to Los Angeles to begin her new job.
 
Eight Flames were named USAG Scholar-Athletes.  Northern, Riley Mahoney, Kat Jakalski, Allison Broad, Abby Hasanov, Toni Alicke, Dani Maciel, and Maddie Nowak were all honored for their outstanding academic achievement.

Co-head coaches Peter and Mary Jansson were awarded Coach of the Year honors.  The Janssons led UIC to a record 10 straight wins, eight scored of 195 or higher, one of the highest overall season averages in UIC history, and the MIC championship.  They were named MIC Coaches of the Year as well.

The entire Flames squad was invited to the stage, where they received a standing ovation from all of the gymnasts and coaches who will be participating in the USAG Nationals, for their accomplishments in the face of adversity this season.

The national meet will begin Friday morning with the first semifinal session.  UIC will compete in the second semifinal starting at 6:00 pm.