Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo wins ACC Player of the Week
Hannah Hidalgo took a rare two-week hiatus away from winning ACC Rookie of the Week, but the player who has won the award more than anyone else in its history returned to her rightful place as Monday’s recipient. Hidalgo took it home for the 12th time, bookending the regular season with the individual accolade on Nov. 13 and March 4 with 10 other triumphs in between.
And there’s more.
Hidalgo was named the overall ACC Player of the Week, too. She earned that prestigious title for the third time this season. The only player who’s gotten it more is Virginia Tech enter Elizabeth Kitley, the reigning ACC Player of the Year. She’s won it six times. She was going for four in a row, but Hidalgo had another thing coming.
Hidalgo outshined Kitley in last week’s clash between the then-No. 5 Hokies and then No. 17 Irish. She scored 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Then she backed up that performance with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists in another ranked win for Notre Dame over then-No. 22 Louisville.
Hidalgo broke the ACC record for single-season points by a freshman against Virginia Tech. She’s got 689 and counting. She’s on pace to set the Notre Dame single-season scoring average record, too. She’s sitting at 23.8 points per game. Arike Ogunbowale holds the all-time Irish mark of 21.8 set in 2018-19.
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Hidalgo smashed the Notre Dame single-season steals record, which was previously 114 set by Skylar Diggins in 2012-13, quite a while ago. She has 141 and counting, which leads the nation. Only two other Division I players have reached 100. Siena’s Elisa Mevius ranks second nationally with 117.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced five finalists for the 2024 Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the best point guard in the country, on Monday. Hidalgo was one of them, and she was the only freshman to make the list along with Iowa senior Caitlin Clark, Ohio State graduate student Jacy Sheldon, South Carolina senior Te-Hina Paopao and Virginia Tech senior Georgia Amoore. Diggins represented Notre Dame by winning the award in 2012 and 2013.
Hidalgo gets her first opportunity to shine in the postseason starting with the ACC Tournament on Friday at 11 a.m. ET. The No. 4 seed Irish have a double bye and await one of No. 5 seed Louisville, No. 12 seed Clemson or No. 13 seed Boston College.
