Frese, Francis, Gahan, Huelman, Welle, Taylor and Haugen.

Make no mistake about it — it’s because of those names that Hilton Magic is back and thriving.

About 1,000 people turned out at Tuesday’s Hilton Coliseum pep rally to welcome the Iowa State women’s basketball team back from its whirlwind ride to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Although the Cyclones lost to Georgia in Monday night’s battle, they have nothing to be ashamed of.

The team, which has undergone a complete turnaround in the past four years, finished the regular season with a 20-6 record. They were the first Iowa State team — male or female — to make it to the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament.

They showed determination and courage in their first three wins — and their last loss.

And while it’s true that the players have awesome skill and strong athleticism, it’s not just their 3-point shots and masterful ball-handling that has everyone in the state of Iowa and beyond paying attention.

It’s the players’ class, grace and enthusiasm off the court that makes people proud to bring their youngsters to the games. The team members also do community service and make an effort to connect with the fans, many of whom followed them along to the Big Dance.

It wasn’t a surprise the team members, after one of the most challenging and grueling weekends of their athletic lives, stayed after the pep rally to sign autographs and answer questions from enthusiastic fans.

In short, they do a splendid job of representing ISU.

And there is no one more proud of the team’s accomplishments than head coach Bill Fennelly, a man who inherited a team with only five winning seasons in its history and helped turn it into a program capable of knocking off perennial NCAA favorite UConn.

There’s a reason why fans typically shout “Fennelly for president” at the closing of an exciting game.

So thank you to the team, to each and every member — to the ones who get the playing time and to the ones who are full of spirit on the bench. The ones who will be the Cyclones’ role models of the future.

And thank you to Coach Fennelly, for helping to create a team that we can be proud of both on and off the court.

We can’t wait to see you again next year.