In 2002, the UIC Flames enjoyed their most successful spring season in school history. UIC sent four teams to NCAA postseason events while the Flames brought home six Horizon League titles.

UIC's success began in early March when the men's basketball team captured its first-ever league tournament title with a thrilling 76-75 overtime win over Loyola in the championship game. With the tournament title, UIC, which finished with a record of 20-14, made its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, taking on Oklahoma in the opening round in Dallas, Texas. The Flames battled the Sooners, who would go on to the Final Four, for forty minutes before dropping a tight eight-point decision.

The UIC women's gymnastics team set many school records en route to earning a spot in the NCAA Regionals in Tempe, Arizona. The Flames locked horns with some of the finest competition the nation had to offer and finished in sixth place.

The Flames women's tennis team has had a dominant run through the Horizon League. Under the direction of first-year head coach Shannon Tully, UIC went a perfect 7-0 in league play to claim their sixth-straight Horizon League regular-season crown. The Flames took the top seed at the league tournament, which concluded with a 4-0 triumph over Butler. UIC finished the year with a record of 17-12 and earned its fourth trip to the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Tournament.

UIC's men's softball team, which was under the guidance of first-year cohead coaches Sarah O'Malley-Fisher and Tom Gray, captured both the Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles. UIC used a potent offense to reach the forty-win plateau for the tenth straight season and make its fifth straight, and seventh overall, appearance in the NCAA Regional Championships. UIC played in the NCAA Region VII Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, where they went 1-2.

The final Flames team to bring home Horizon League hardware was the UIC baseball program. It was a banner year for the Flames, who finished the season with a school-record thirty-nine wins. Junior Curtis Granderson, the Horizon League Most Valuable Player, set school single-season records in several different categories, including: batting average (.483), hits (100) and runs scored (76). He also broke the career record for runs scored, with 178.