At its annual awards banquet last weekend, the Flames women's gymnastics team honored the team and individual accomplishments from the season.  Over 100 people from all over the country came together to celebrate one of the most decorated teams in UIC history, as well as the program's 40-plus year history of consistent success.

The room was lined with 13 Conference Championship trophies, and numerous other titles of this storied program.  The Flames earned their record 13^th Midwest Independent Conference championship in March.  They also were the USAG national runner-up and set a school record with a full-season average score of 195.000.

Kayla Baddeley, who won the national vault championship, the all-around conference title, and an NCAA Regional berth in the all-around, was named the team's MVP.  She was the MIC Athlete of the Year and a three-time First Team All-American.

Baddeley also won the Most Consistent Beam award for the second straight year.  She was a second team All-American on beam, and had a team high average of 9.760.  Her national qualifying score was 9.825.  She hit every one of her beam routines this season.

The Lizette Labuschagne award was given out by its founder, Zandre Labuschagne, a UIC Alum (class of 2008) and 2014 Olympian.  Maddie Nowak received the award, which honors the memory of Zandre's mother.

Kayla Baddeley returned to the stage to receive the team's Rock award, for hitting 100% of her routines on vault, beam and floor.

Another Rock award went to Miki Northern, who co-head coach Peter Jansson simply called "a living legend."  The most decorated UIC gymnast, Northern competed the all-around in every competition during her four-year career despite two ruptured Achilles tendons and thyroid cancer.

Among Northern's litany of accolades are the MIC Athlete of the Year and Senior Athlete of the Year awards, the USAG national Outstanding Senior Athlete, the Sylvia Keiter and Mari-Rae Sopper awards, an individual conference championship, three NCAA Regional qualifications, and three All-American recognitions.

The Most improved Gymnast award went to the entire 2019 team.  The squad improved from two 195's to a program record ten 195 or better scores.  Last year they averaged 9.8 twice on just one event.  This year the team averaged 9.8 19 times on all four events.

There was also an alumni presentation highlighting what this program had brought to their lives and the people that they had become thanks to being part of the women's gymnastics program at UIC.