CHICAGO – UIC Athletics has extended the contract of head softball coach Lynn Curylo through 2025. The new agreement was approved by Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois at its May meeting.

"Lynn is an outstanding coach and leader who has built a program that sets the standard for our league," said director of athletics Michael Lipitz. "This new agreement reflects our continued commitment and best ensures her leadership of our programs for many years to come."

Curylo, a proud UIC alumnae, aided the softball program in reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2021 for the third time in the four most recently completed seasons. The Flames were crowned Horizon League Regular Season Champions in each of her first three campaigns at her alma mater. The squad finished tied for second this spring, but roared through the Horizon League Tournament with three consecutive wins as the No. 3 seed to raise the trophy once again. She was selected as the Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018.

The Chicago native owns 142 wins as UIC's head coach, winning more than 59% of games played. Curylo's teams have been downright dominant in Horizon League play with a record of 82-23 and a winning percentage of 78.1%.

The Flames have earned Horizon League Player of the Year accolades three times during Curylo's tenure at UIC, and Horizon League Pitcher of the year once. The program has garnered eight National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region awards since 2017, and in 2019, Skylee James was named All-America.

The softball program is also one of UIC's strongest academically. The Flames registered a 3.71 GPA during the spring, an overall increase from an equally impressive mark of 3.58 in fall 2020. The softball program had six student-athletes achieve a spotless 4.0 GPA during the spring season in which they also won a conference championship.

Curylo's program also actively engages in a variety of mission-driven service opportunities. This spring the team raised more than $7,000 on behalf of Vs. Cancer and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.