Before leaving for Lexington, Kentucky, on Wednesday, Oregon State sophomore Mikayla Pivec admitted that she would have been happy if she was told before the season that the Beavers would advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

Many who follow women’s college basketball probably would have thought that feat unlikely, although not impossible.

The Beavers had nearly turned their roster over from a team that reached the program’s first Final Four in 2016.

Last year’s team, led by another strong senior class that won a third straight Pac-12 regular-season title, made it that far when many did not expect it.

Not only did this year’s Oregon State team make the Sweet 16, it handed Baylor just its second loss of the season while making the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons.

The remarkable journey came to an end one victory short of the Final Four on Sunday with a 76-43 loss to Louisville.

“What this team has done from day one to get to this point, I mean, we just talked about it briefly in the locker room, how hard we had to push in October,” eighth-year coach Scott Rueck said Sunday. “We were coaching them like we were a Final Four team in October, and I think their heads were spinning, like what, like relax, coach, relax. Why are you pushing so hard, because they didn’t speak the language yet.”

The Beavers took some lumps along the way, but they turned those into learning experiences that paid dividends.

There was a five-point home loss in the third game of the season to a Notre Dame team that is playing in the Final Four this weekend.

Then there was a tough seven-point loss at Duke, which fell to UConn in the Sweet 16.

OSU took a 9-2 record into the start of the Pac-12 play and struggled a bit at home against Washington and Washington State before pulling out home wins.

Then came a weekend that could have defined the season — a 35-point blowout at UCLA and a tough four-point loss at USC after having a 17-point lead in the third quarter.

But the Beavers regrouped and responded by winning 12 of their last 14 conference games, including overtime home wins over top-10 teams Oregon and UCLA.

“As we went through the trials, a couple losses, some success, then it all started to sink in,” Rueck said. “In about mid-January this team hit a stride that was championship level, and they played that way throughout and did some things that defied the odds the last couple weeks. But I don’t think it surprised those of us who have been on the inside.”

While the Beavers had plenty of holes to fill, they had Marie Gulich, the lone senior and the unquestioned leader on and off the court.

The 6-foot-5 center from Germany left an unforgettable mark on the Oregon State program and fan base. She led the Beavers with 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season.

“You can’t do it better than Marie has done it this year, and that’s saying something,” Rueck said. “We’ve had incredible leaders and incredible people come through our program, and she’s right there at the top of the list with them.

“What she’s meant to Beaver Nation, what she’s done for this team, the confidence she’s instilled in everyone, the example that she is to anyone that’s watched us play, I mean, it’s phenomenal. It’s what it’s all about. It’s just class. You know, the truest word of competitor. She’s the definition of it.”

Gulich has talked often about never envisioning the kind of career she has had at Oregon State, one that includes four NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and a Final Four.

The Beavers have gone 116-23 over those four seasons.

“The teammates I had in the past, especially this year, I couldn’t be more proud to be like a leader and a teammate for them,” Gulich said. “They made things so much easier, and everything I have experienced this year I will never forget, so I’m super proud to be a Beaver and have had the opportunity to play for Oregon State and in front of Beaver Nation for all the four years.

“(I had) the time of my life, and especially the past two weeks have been amazing, and it’s been so fun.”

Gulich is the only player who has used up her eligibility, but she will be a big loss.

Expected back are Katie McWilliams, Taylor Kalmer and Joanna Grymek as seniors. McWilliams started every game this season and averaged 8.1 points and 3.8 assists per game while playing the most minutes on the team.

Mikayla Pivec (11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists) and Kat Tudor (12.0 points and 89 3-pointers), who both started all 34 games, will be juniors, along with Maddie Washington and Janessa Thropay.

Taya Corosdale (6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds) and Aleah Goodman (6.3 points and 49 3s) had strong freshman campaigns and will be joined in the sophomore class by Maryland transfer Destiny Slocum, who sat out this season. Slocum was the Big Ten freshman of the year in 2016-17, averaging 11.5 points and six assists.

The incoming freshman class is highlighted by 6-9 Andrea Aquino, the No. 2 post and No. 7 overall player according to espnW. Also in the class are Patricia Morris, a 6-7 forward, and 5-11 guard Jasmine Simmons.

Rueck is excited about the prospects for next season.

“We’re going to miss Marie like crazy, without a question, but others will step up because it will be their turn,” he said. “And so everything that this group accomplished points towards a lot of success in the future and a lot more great times.”