Photo by Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- For the third time this season, University of Delaware freshman women's basketball player Elena Delle Donne is the Army ROTC Best of the Blue Hens Athlete of the Week. She earned the award for her performances ending the week of January 24.

Delle Donne, a 6-5 freshman from Wilmington, Del. (Ursuline Academy) was also selected as the Rookie of the Week by the Colonial Athletic Association for the third consecutive week and for the sixth time this season after leading the Blue Hens last week as UD went 1-1 in conference play.

Delle Donne (at right), a forward/guard Naismith National Player of the Year and Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 candidate, finished with game highs in both of the Blue Hens’ contests. The rookie tallied 27 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in a heartbreaking last-second, 60-59 loss at league-leading Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday, before adding 35 points, seven rebounds, five steals, three assists and one block as the Hens outdid Hofstra, 71-65, on Sunday.

At VCU Delle Donne broke the freshman scoring record previously set by Danielle Leyfert with 358 points in the 1997-98 season; she has recorded 414 points since November. The rookie also upset the freshman three-pointer record previously held by current director of basketball operations, Liz Hayes. Hayes had drilled 33 treys during the 2003-04 season; Delle Donne now has 38.

Against the Rams, Delle Donne hit 3-for-3 from the free throw line at 15:09 to knot the game and break her third record of the night, Delaware’s consecutive free-throw record. The record of 31 stood since the 1990-91 season when Linda Cyborski was perfect from Nov. 25 to Jan. 23. Delle Donne connected on her 39th consecutive free throw with just 25 seconds remaining in the game at Hofstra, a streak that began at George Mason on Jan. 7 with 3:48 remaining in the contest.

Delle Donne currently ranks third in the nation in scoring, sixth in free-throw percentage, 21st in three-point field goal percentage, 45th in field goal percentage, 53rd in blocked shots per game, 54th in rebounds per game, and 67th in three-point field goals per game. The Wilmington, Del. native also leads the nation having scored 40.4 percent of her teams’ points in games in which she has played. She has scored 414 of the Hens’ 1,026 points scored in her 16 active games.

Delle Donne stands as the only player in the nation to rank in the top 50 in each of the three shooting percentages: field goals (45th), three-pointers (21st) and free throws (6th).

Delle Donne ranks among the individual leaders in the league in free throw percentage (1st, 90.6%), defensive rebounds (1st, 6.3 rpg), minutes played (1st, 38.7 mpg), scoring (2nd, 25.9 ppg), rebounding (2nd, 9.0 rpg), blocked shots (2nd, 1.9 bpg), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, 44.7%), three-point field goals made (3rd, 2.4 3-pg), and field goal percentage (4th, 50.9%).

The Hens next take on Towson on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Past Winners:

2009-10 Season
Jan. 24 - Elena Delle Donne (Women's Basketball)
Jan. 17 - Hans Gillan - Men's Swimming
Jan. 10 - Vicky Caruso - Women's Indoor Track & Field
Jan. 3 - Alphonso Dawson (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 28 - Elena Delle Donne (Women's Basketball)
Dec. 21 - Kelvin McNeil (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 14 - Elena Delle Donne (Women's Basketball)
Dec. 7 - Grady Carter (Men's Swimming)
Nov. 30 - Lauren Carra (Women's Basketball)
Nov. 23 - Pat Devlin (Football)
Nov. 16 - Michelle LaLonde (Volleyball)
Nov. 9 - Noelle Diana (Field Hockey)
Nov. 2 - Chris Bourke (Men's Cross Country)
Oct. 25 - Elena Berry (Women's Tennis)
Oct. 18 - Jessie Ermak (Women's Cross Country)
Oct. 11 - Kevin McLister (Golf)
Oct. 4 - Darren Christie (Men's Soccer)
Sept. 28 - Stephanie Barry (Volleyball)
Sept. 21 - Chris Bourke (Men's Cross Country)
Sept. 14 - Charles Graves (Football)
Sept. 7 - Casey Howard (Field Hockey)

2008-09 Season
June 1 - Kelli McDonald (Women's Track & Field)
May 25 - Bill Merkler (Baseball)
May 18 - Ryan Cuneo (Baseball)
May 11 - Novice Fours Crew (Women's Rowing)
May 4 - Jessica Cerveny (Women's Lacrosse)
Apr. 26 - John Hally (Men's Track & Field)
Apr. 19 - Cristine Marquez (Women's Track & Field)
Apr. 12 - Curtis Dickson (Men's Lacrosse)
Apr. 5 - Stephanie Allen (Women's Lacrosse)
Mar. 29 - Michelle Grap (Softball)
Mar. 22 - Justin Martinson (Golf)
Mar. 15 - Ryan Reed (Baseball)
Mar. 8 - Amanda Marshall (Women's Indoor Track& Field)
Mar. 1 - Hans Gillan (Men's Swimming)
Feb. 22 - Karen Mandrachia (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Feb. 15 - Curtis Dickson (Men's Lacrosse)
Feb. 8 - Marc Egerson (Men's Basketball)
Feb. 1 - John Viotto (Men's Indoor Track & Field)
Jan. 25 - Matt Abbruzzese (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Jan. 19 - Christina Antonopoulos (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Jan. 12 - Hans Gillan (Men's Swimming)
Jan. 5 - Marc Egerson (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 29 - Tesia Harris (Women's Basketball)
Dec. 21 - D.J. Boney (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 14 - Jawan Carter (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 7 - Maryann Walker (Women's Swimming)
Nov. 30 - Jess Chason (Volleyball)
Nov. 23 - Christina Antonopoulos (Women's Cross Country)
Nov. 16 - Tesia Harris (Women's Basketball)
Nov. 9 - Katie Dennehy (Volleyball)
Nov. 2 - Andy Streilein (Men's Soccer)
Oct. 25 - Junior Jabbie (Football)
Oct. 18 - Caitlyn Germain (Women's Soccer)
Oct. 11 - Grady Carter (Men's Swimming)
Oct. 5 - Colin Smith (Golf)
Sept. 29 - Stephanie Barry (Volleyball)
Sept. 22 - Andre Vorobyov (Men's Tennis)
Sept. 15 - Colin Smith (Golf)
Sept. 8 - Amanda Campbell (Women's Tennis)
Sept. 1 - Anthony Walters (Football)

2007-08 Season
May 19 - Asha Quant (Women's Outdoor Track)
May 12 - Novice Eights (Women's Rowing)
May 5 - David Slovak (Baseball)
Apr. 28 - Joe Flacco (Football)
Apr. 21 - Chase Renoll (Men's Outdoor Track & Field)
Apr. 14 - Tommy Ellison (Golf)
Apr. 7 - Susan Pollack (Women's Tennis)
Mar. 31 - Emily Schaknowski (Women's Lacrosse)
Mar. 24 - Asha Quant (Women's Outdoor Track & Field)
Mar. 16 - Anne Marie Pagano (Softball)
Mar. 9 - Cristine Marquez (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Mar. 2 - Andrew Zinn (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Feb. 25 - Ryan Cuneo (Baseball)
Feb. 18 - Asha Quant (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Feb. 11 - Vincent Giordano (Men's Lacrosse)
Feb. 4 - Andrew Zinn (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Jan. 28 - John Viotto (Men's Indoor Track & Field)
Jan. 21 - Kelli McDonald (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Jan. 14 - Herb Courtney (Men's Basketball)
Jan. 7 - Andrew Zinn (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Dec. 31 - Kyle DeHaven (Women's Basketball)
Dec. 24 - Alphonso Dawson (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 16 - Mark Duncan (Football)
Dec. 9 - Joe Flacco (Football)
Dec. 2 - Maryann Walker (Women's Swimming)
Nov. 26 - Omar Cuff (Football)
Nov. 19 - Megan Welch (Volleyball)
Nov. 12 - Kyle DeHaven (Women's Basketball)
Nov. 5 - Sobhan Tadjalli (Men's Soccer)
Oct. 29 - Christina Antonopoulos (Women's Cross Country)
Oct. 22 - Emily Sammis (Women's Soccer)
Oct. 15 - Omar Cuff (Football)
Oct. 8 - Kyle Schmid (Men's Cross Country)
Oct. 1 - Colleen Walsh (Volleyball)
Sept. 23 - Nolan Greenberg (Men's Tennis)
Sept. 16 - Joe Flacco (Football)
Sept. 9 - Jason Bernstein (Golf)
Sept. 2 - Casey Howard (Field Hockey)
Aug. 26 - Stephanie Barry (Volleyball)

2006-07 Season
Jan. 30 - Asha Quant (Women's Indoor Track)
Feb. 4 - Kyle DeHaven (Women's Basketball)
Feb. 11 - Sam McMahon (Men's Basketball)
Feb. 18 - Maryann Walker (Women's Swimming)
Feb. 25 - Adam Zuder-Havens (Men's Lacrosse)
Mar. 2 - Cristine Marquez (Women's Indoor Track)
Mar. 12 - Debbie Sloan (Women's Lacrosse)
Mar. 19 - Tyresa Smith (Women's Basketball)
Mar. 26 - Joe McLister (Golf)
Apr. 2 - Carolynn Sloat (Softball)
Apr. 9 - Bryan Hagerich (Baseball)
Apr. 16 - Alexi Capsouras (Women's Outdoor Track)
Apr. 23 - Jared Wasser (Men's Outdoor Track)
Apr. 30 - Alex Smith (Men's Lacrosse)
May 7 - David Slovak (Baseball)
May 14 - Tommy Scherr (Men's Lacrosse)
May 21 - Dan Deckelbaum (Men's Lacrosse)
May 28 - Mike McGuire (Baseball)