SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Reigning Nancy Lieberman Award winner Hannah Hidalgo has been named one of 20 players to the award’s watch list ahead of her senior season, which honors the nation’s best collegiate point guard, as the Merchantville, New Jersey native continues to cement her status as one of the nation’s elite players.
Hidalgo became the second player in program history to win the Nancy Lieberman Award last season, joining Skylar Diggins, who earned the honor in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Already named an AP Preseason All-American and the Preseason ACC Player of the Year earlier this month, Hidalgo put together one of the most statistically dominant seasons in college basketball history a year ago. She led the ACC in scoring at 25.3 points per game and the nation in steals at 5.6 per game, while averaging 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest. She is the only men’s or women’s college basketball player this century to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals per game. Her 202 steals set an NCAA single-season record.
Hidalgo has also joined an exclusive group of four major-conference players this century to record at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals in a career: Alana Beard (Duke), Shernise Johnson (Miami) and Armintie Price (Ole Miss). Hidalgo is the first to reach those milestones before completing her junior season.
Notre Dame opens the season with an exhibition against Truman State on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion before beginning the regular season against Villanova at noon ET on Nov. 1 at the Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome.