Hannah Hidalgo just made ACC history. The Notre Dame star swept the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards for the second consecutive season. This continues a dominant three-year run, cementing her status as one of college basketball's elite players.

The run was marked by an amazing three-year span that started with Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

The announcement summed it up perfectly:

“👑 2026 Player of the Year
👑 2026 Defensive Player of the Year
👑 2025 Player of the Year
👑 2025 Defensive Player of the Year
👑 2024 Rookie of the Year
👑 2024 Defensive Player of the Year
@HannahHidalgo, ladies and gentlemen.”

Hidalgo has become the driving force behind the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball on both ends of the floor. This season, she posted 25.2 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

At the same time, her defensive numbers didn't lag. In fact, the steals and blocks average increased from her previous seasons. She managed 5.6 steals per game and 0.3 blocks per game.

That's why when one of Notre Dame's coaches, Marcus Freeman, talked about the star, it was all positive. "And that’s a term of endearment for the ferocity she plays with, the intensity, the competitiveness. She’s a complete basketball player. And I think that’s what makes her the best all-around player in the country."

But now, can the team go deep into March Madness?

ESPN's current projection shows the Fighting Irish as the No. 6 seed. And head coach Niele Ivey has the belief that the team can keep going strong.

"I’ve learned, as you have all seen this team blossom together, I’ve learned a lot this season. I think that they have all learned — especially the core players: KK (Bransford), Cass (Prosper) and Hannah (Hidalgo). It was a character building season. We’ve grown so much. This is a completely different team. I’ve had to change the offense so there’s a lot of different things that we grew through."

Going forward, the number 9 seed Villanova will be their opponent, meaning when they get to March Madness, they will face tough matchups.

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Dolly Bhamrick

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar