Freshman phenom Hannah Hidalgo named ACC Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year
Jena Stopczynski / ABC57 NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- The ACC Conference announced Tuesday that Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo is the ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Hidalgo is only the third player in history receive both awards, joining Elizabeth Williams (Duke, 2012) and Kamilla Cardoso (Syracuse, 2021), and the only guard to ever win both awards.
The freshman phenom also finished third in the voting for ACC Player of the Year, and was the lone rookie named to the All-ACC First Team.
Hidalgo collected 12 of 17 ACC Rookie of the Week honors this season, which is a conference record.
The Irish point guard is averaging 23.8 points per game, leading the ACC, while tied for third with 5.4 assists per game.
On February 29, Hidalgo scored her 660th point of the year against Virginia Tech, setting a new single-season ACC freshman scoring record.
On the defensive side of the ball, Hidalgo leads the nation with 4.9 steals per game. She has broken the single-season steals record with 141 steals on the year, as well as the ACC freshman steals record.
The Notre Dame record for highest steal average will likely be shattered, which was set in 1978-88 by Mary Gavin with 3.3
Sonia Citron
Maddy Westbeld
Hidalgo joins Brianna Turner (2015) and Sonia Citron (2022) in the ACC Rookie of the Year award winners for the Irish. Alicia Ratay (2000), Jaqueline Batteast (2002), and Jewell Loyd (2013) earned the award while Notre Dame was a part of the Big East Conference.
Brianna Turner is the only Irish player to have won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award (2016, 2017 and 2019) while Devereaux Peters (2011 and 2012) and Ruth Riley (1999, 2000 and 2001) won it in the Big East.
Hidalgo wasn't the only Notre Dame player to receive honors Tuesday.
Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron have been named to the 2024 All-ACC Second Team.
Westbeld finished the regular season with 9.4 rebounds per game and averaged 14.1 points per game. She notched 12 double-doubles this season.
Citron made the list even though she suffered a knee sprain on November 15 and missed nine games. She ended the regular season averaging 16.3 points per game, ranking ninth in the league.
Citron leads the ACC with 90.8 success rate from the free-throw line.
In addition to these ACC Second Team honors, Hidalgo was named to the All-ACC First Team.
Notre Dame tips off in the ACC tournament Friday at 11 a.m. The opponent will be either Louisville, Clemson or Boston College.