Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo has been a force for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish all season; before the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament, she was honored with two major awards.
Notre Dame Standout Hannah Hidalgo Brings Home Two Major ACC Awards
Hidalgo has been a terror for opposing defenses — and offenses — in 2024-25. On Tuesday, March 4, she was rewarded for her efforts with the ACC Player of the Year award while also being honored as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, a historic feat for the Fighting Irish sophomore.
On the season, she’s pouring in 24.2 ppg, the second-highest mark in the conference. At 5’6″, she’s also pulling down 5.3 rpg and dishing out 3.8 apg. Along with her slashing ability, she’s a major threat from beyond the arc, shooting 40.1% on 5.3 attempts per game.
To God be the Glory! 🙌🏼Thank you! https://t.co/lJQeMShsEA
— Hannah Hidalgo (@HannahHidalgo) March 4, 2025
She’s helped lead Notre Dame to a 25-4 overall record, including a 16-2 record in ACC matchups, clinching a share of the 2025 ACC regular-season title.
That resume alone would be enough to qualify as an honoree as the top player in the conference — but it completely ignores her tenacity on the defensive end of the floor.
Hidalgo is registering 3.7 spg, the fourth-highest mark in the country. She’s a huge reason the Fighting Irish have garnered one of the top defenses in the country, leading to their 25 wins this season.
A five-star prospect in the class of 2023, Hidalgo, a Merchantville, NJ native, enrolled at Notre Dame in July of 2023 and hasn’t looked back since.
She established herself as one of the best freshmen in college basketball in 2024, totaling 22.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 5.5 apg as the team’s primary ball-handler. Hidalgo was the leading force behind the Fighting Irish’s NCAA Tournament run, which ended at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers in the Sweet 16.
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That loss came unexpectedly, as Notre Dame had been named a No. 2 seed and had high expectations of going further in the tournament.
Luckily for Fighting Irish fans, that loss provided all the motivation Hidalgo needed to return for her sophomore season and put together a masterpiece of a season, sweeping the two primary end-of-season ACC honors.
Now — with more experience this time around — she’ll have her sights set on making a deep run through the NCAA Tournament in just a few short weeks.
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