LOS ANGELES — Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo has been named to the 2025-26 Women’s Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List on Tuesday evening.
Selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award® All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
Hidalgo has been outstanding for the Irish this season, averaging 24.9 points per game, which leads the ACC and ranks third in the nation.
The junior also has been a menace on the defensive end, leading the country in steals at a clip of 5.42 per game. Hidalgo is the only player in the country to average five or more steals per game.
Hidalgo set the NCAA record for steals in a game with 16 against Akron while also setting the Notre Dame program record for points with 44 in the win.
The guard also set the program record for career steals, becoming the first player in program history to surpass the 400-steal milestone (402).
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award® Women’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the late midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.
Wooden Award® voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament’s early rounds, players’ contributions to their teams, and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.
Celebrating its fiftieth year, the Wooden Award will feature special programming throughout the season with first winner and ambassador Marques Johnson, culminating in the 2026 John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal. Winners and All Americans will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 10, 2026.
Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish return to Purcell Pavilion for a weekend ACC matchup against NC State at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 15. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.