CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just six weeks into the 2023-24 season, Hannah Hidalgo has earned her fourth ACC Rookie of the Week award.
The freshman out of South Jersey earned the conference honor on Monday after posting 23 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals in a dominant 76-39 victory over Purdue last weekend. In doing so, Hidalgo became the first player in women’s college basketball to have at least 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals since January 2022.
Sunday’s performance was Hidalgo’s eighth game this year with at least 20 points, passing Skylar Diggins-Smith for the most 20-point games as an Irish rookie since at least 1999. On the topic of Diggins-Smith, she holds the Irish freshman record for steals in a year (90). Hidalgo is currently sitting at 55 just nine games into this season.
As of Dec. 18, Hidalgo continues to lead the ACC in scoring (23.6 points per game) and the nation in steals (6.1 per game). She leads all conference rookies with 5.8 assists per contest and ranks third overall in the ACC.
As far as Rookie of the Week appearances go, a fourth puts Hidalgo in rare company. She has now passed Ruth Riley-Hunter on the list, as she had three her freshman year in 1998. Hidalgo joins Diggins-Smith* and Jewell Loyd* at four. The record is six, held by Jacqueline Batteast*, Sonia Citron, Alicia Ratay* and Brianna Turner. Batteast, Citron, Loyd, Ratay and Turner all went on to earn conference Rookie/Freshman of the Year honors.
* denotes Big East Freshman of the Week honors since it was prior to Notre Dame joining the ACC