Delaware’s women’s basketball team’s 2012 season personified the word “historical.”

They won a record-setting number of games, the conference championship with a perfect league record, their first-ever NCAA tournament game. It all culminated with one of the most accomplished seasons for any team, in any sport in Delaware history.

Head coach Tina Martin’s squad finished with a 31-2 record. The two losses came to highly ranked Maryland in the regular season, and NCAA Tournament foe Kansas, which ended the Delaware season in a second-round loss in March.

“I knew we would be a really good team, but I never dreamt that we’d be undefeated,” Martin said of the Hens’ conference record. “It was just a terrific run, to be able to stand up to the expectations.”

Despite getting knocked out of the national tournament earlier than they’d hoped, the Hens checked off accomplishments until the very end, due in no small part to their star.

Elena Delle Donne never took sole responsibility for a win. She piled up individual accolades throughout the season, but was always focused on her team’s goals—win the CAA regular season championship and the conference tournament, and then do whatever damage it could in the national spotlight.

Delle Donne’s junior campaign ended with multiple postseason recognitions. She earned a spot on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Women’s All-America Team and the John R. Wooden All-America Team. She was named the ECAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, CAA Player of the Year, and an Academic All-American.

The list goes on and on. Delle Donne was also one of four finalists for national player of the year, and lost out to Baylor’s Brittany Griner, who led her team to a national championship.

Delle Donne’s country-leading 28.1 points per game, along with her 10-plus rebounds per game, threw her into the Naismith conversation. It was also her team leading 86 blocks—no one else on the team was in double digits—her team-high 39 steals and her 75 assists, which were second on the team behind Trumae Lucas. She filled up the stat sheet in every way possible.

“Having the opportunity to play with her is the experience of a lifetime,” junior guard Lauren Carra said. “It’s not just her ability on the court. She has such a calm presence about her.”

Martin cited the November game against No. 11 Penn State as the point when Delle Donne “came out of her shell.”

“The biggest thing for Elena is, she became a leader in every sense of the word,” Martin said. “She emerged as someone the team knew they could trust in any situation.”

But Delle Donne couldn’t have done any of it without teammates.

Carra was second on the team with 10.2 points per game. Her presence outside the arc, where she knocked down 51 three-pointers, stretched the floor, but she also constantly matched up with the opposing team’s best guard.

Carra’s favorite moments of the year were beating Penn State, as well as winning the CAA Championship over Drexel before heading to the NCAA Tournament.

“When I was little, I used to dream about something like that,” Carra said of the team’s stint in the national tournament. “There were a lot of nerves, and it’s only motivation for next year.”

Junior Danielle Parker was second on the team in rebounding with 7.5 per game, and was just behind Delle Donne in field goal percentage for second on the team. Parker was also third on the team in scoring with 8.6 per contest.

Transfers Akeema Richards and Lucas, a sophomore and junior, respectively, helped anchor the Delaware backcourt with a combined 13 points per game.

These five started 32 of 33 games, and all will return to build on what they accomplished next year.

The Hens have five incoming freshmen. While Grace Dewey will redshirt due to an ACL tear suffered during her high school team’s championship game, Martin said the four others will look to contribute.

Courtney Green, coming in from Virginia, is a talented three-point shooter from the two-guard position. Jade Clark is a big guard who will see playing time at the three-spot, Alicia Bell, who Martin said can “defend anybody,” and a point guard that Martin said chose Delaware over Drexel will all likely see playing time.

The team has so much already under its belt, and most of them aren’t done yet. However, the four seniors had the ride of their life.

“I was so proud of that group,” Martin said of her departing class. “The biggest thing about the seniors was the fact that they all accepted their role. They realized how important the team was.”

Guards Vanessa Kabongo, Jocelyn Bailey and Meghan McLean will depart, along with center Sarah Acker. While their numbers weren’t always noticeable on the stat sheet, the rest of the team will miss the seniors.

“They meant a lot to this team,” Carra said. “Their leadership, their encouragement—they were a huge part of what we did.”

The team drew in record crowds by the end of their season, something that didn’t happen often prior to the arrival of Delle Donne and her talented teammates. They sold out the Bob Carpenter Center, which, more often than not, was less than half-full before.

“It was exhilarating for the players,” Martin said. “It was one big crowd after another big crowd.”