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Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo makes Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•02/07/24•

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hidalgo (21)
Syracuse Orange guard Alaina Rice (25) passes the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) attempts to steal in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. (Photo by Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports)

Only one freshman has her name of the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch list. It’s Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.

Hidalgo is the only freshmen on both the men’s and women’s side to earn the honor, in fact. There were 15 players who made the cut from each side.

In a league of her own, Hidalgo leads all NCAA women with 106 steals. The next highest total is 83 by graduate student forward Jordyn Cambridge of Vanderbilt.

Hidalgo smashed the previous Notre Dame freshman of 90 steals in a single season set by Skylar Diggins 14 years ago. The all-time Notre Dame record is 114, a number also set by Diggins in her senior season. Hidalgo was the fastest Division I player to reach 100 steals in the last 25 years.

Hidalgo has recorded 5-plus steals in 11 games. She has registered at least 1 steal in every game but one. She had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in an 82-67 win for Notre Dame over UConn in that steal-less outing.

Hidalgo’s defense is what sets her apart from the other great players in the game. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has averaged multiple steals in any of her four seasons as a Hawkeye. She’s sitting at a career-high 1.7 this season.

Notre Dame is one of the best defensive teams in the ACC. The Fighting Irish allow 60.3 points per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. The Irish rank second in the ACC in team steals with 11.67 per game. Hidalgo is responsible for nearly half of those on her own, and her relentless defense on the opposing team’s ball handlers tend to lead to even more takeaways that do not go under her own individual ledger.

Here is a look at all 15 players on the 2023-24 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist.

Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist

Cameron BrinkSeniorFStanford
Jordyn CambridgeGrad StudentGVanderbilt
Kamilla CardosoSeniorCSouth Carolina
Lucy CochraneSeniorFPortland
Lauren GustinSeniorFBYU
Hannah HidalgoFreshmanGNotre Dame
Taiyanna JacksonSuper SeniorCKansas
Elizabeth KitleyGrad StudentCVirginia Tech
Ayoka LeeSeniorCKansas State
Rayah MarshallJuniorC/FUSC
Aneesah MorrowJuniorGLSU
JJ QuinerlyJuniorGWest Virginia
Angel ReeseJuniorFLSU
Celeste TaylorGrad StudentGOhio State
Serah WilliamsSophomoreFWisconsin

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