Hello Flames Family!

As we enter this season of gratitude and reflection, I want to share my deep appreciation for each member of our Flames community. This November also marks a meaningful personal milestone — my one-year anniversary as UIC's Director of Athletics. Since beginning my tenure on November 16, 2024, I have been humbled by the passion, resilience and pride that define UIC Athletics. It has truly been an honor to lead this department during a transformative moment for both our institution and college athletics as a whole.

The holidays offer us the perfect opportunity to pause and acknowledge the many blessings that continue to strengthen our programs. I am deeply thankful for our extraordinary student-athletes, who embody the spirit of UIC through their determination in the classroom, in competition and their unwavering commitment to representing this university with integrity.

I am equally grateful for our coaches and staff — individuals who dedicate themselves fully to mentoring, inspiring and supporting our student-athletes. And to our campus partners, alumni, donors, season ticket holders, families, friends and fans: your belief in our mission fuels everything we do. Together, we are building something truly special.

This year has brought significant progress. Earlier in 2025, UIC officially opted into the House v. NCAA settlement after thoughtful collaboration with campus leadership and peer institutions. This decision marks an important step in supporting our student-athletes through an evolving national landscape while reinforcing our core values: opportunity, fairness and student-centered success.

We also hosted a virtual UIC Athletics Town Hall, featuring UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda, Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Jeff Jackson and UIC alum and Major League Baseball great Curtis Granderson. Their insights highlighted the importance of innovation and collaboration as we forge the future of UIC Athletics. If you were unable to attend, I encourage you to watch the full recording below.



This year, we reached a critical agreement with Marquee Sports Network that will see UIC athletic contests televised across six Midwestern states and into several million households, including seven of the top 100 media markets in the country, via the Chicago-based regional network that also is home to the Chicago Cubs. This was an important step in bringing several of our Flames' programs to linear television, making them more accessible than ever to a wider audience.

Our Flames have also continued to shine in competition — among some of our many highlights within the past 12 months:
 

 

 

Beyond competition, our student-athletes continue to demonstrate excellence in the classroom. Just last week, we announced a NCAA Graduation Success Rate score of 91, the fifth year in a row UIC has topped 90 percent, with six of our programs posting perfect team scores. In addition, a record-setting 255 Flames (nearly 85 percent of our eligible student-athletes) earned Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll recognition last year, when UIC Athletics posted some of its highest-ever department-wide GPAs (3.43 in the Fall of 2024 and 3.39 in the Spring of 2025), and men's track & field/cross country runner Luke Malone became the first UIC student-athlete to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship last spring.

This fall, we have been fortunate to welcome countless former Flames back to campus for our Alumni Days for men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball. More than five decades of UIC student-athletes carry with them the ongoing passion and love for this University and it was an honor and a thrill to meet so many of them and hear stories from their time wearing the Flames' uniform. Each and every one of us here at UIC walks in the shoes of those who preceded us and we consider it a privilege and an important responsibility to carry ourselves with the same class, pride and enthusiasm that these incredible alumni did during their college careers.

We also welcomed back Bill Thomas as our Senior Associate Athletics Director for Finance & Administration, a key leader who will help guide our long-term planning and financial strategy as we continue building a sustainable and forward-thinking department.

As we move further into the 2025-26 academic year, I am filled with gratitude, pride and optimism. The road ahead is bright and it is your support — your belief in our mission and your dedication to our student-athletes — that fuels our continued rise. To that end, if you are as inspired as we are about what lies ahead for UIC Athletics, and you want to help us take that next step on our championship journey, please consider making a donation to uplift our Flames' student-athletes through the following website: UIC Athletics Fundraising

Thank you for walking alongside us. Thank you for cheering for us. And thank you for being part of the Flames Family.

Wishing you a joyful and restful holiday season — Fire Up, Flames!
 
 
Andrea Williams
UIC Director of Intercollegiate Athletics