Add three more lines to Hannah Hidalgo’s resume, as the freshman was named both a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist and to the USBWA and Sporting News All-America Second Teams on Tuesday.
She is the sole freshman on the Naismith list and one of three rookies to earn USBWA and Sporting News All-America status.
Just 32 games into her collegiate career, Hidalgo has already cemented herself as one of the nation’s best defensive players. She leads the country with 4.6 steals per game. Just prior to the ACC Tournament, Hidalgo was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year along with ACC Rookie of the Year. She is just the third player in conference history to earn the awards in the same season. Hidalgo was also named the ACC Tournament MVP after the Irish downed NC State to bring home a sixth ACC title.
Additionally, Hidalgo is averaging an ACC-leading 23.3 points and is also dishing out 5.5 assists per game. The latter mark ranks third in the conference.
Hidalgo and Notre Dame (26-6) will be back in action on Saturday as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Irish will host No. 15 Kent State (21-10) and are 24-4 all-time in First Round games.