With seven players departing in the offseason, Hannah Hidalgo was one of only four players who remained from Notre Dame’s 2024 roster. Despite the turnover, she never wavered. “I didn’t feel like the Lord was calling me to get up and leave,” she said. Now, she’s thriving and making history. 

Her historic run comes on the heels of a record-breaking performance on November 12. In Notre Dame’s 85–58 win over Akron, she poured in 44 points. That outing broke the program’s single-game scoring record previously held by Ruth Riley. However, she didn't set this benchmark with just one epic performance.

Through nine games this season, Hidalgo has recorded more than 200 points and 50 steals. That makes her the only player this century, across the NBA, WNBA, and Division I men’s or women’s basketball, to achieve the feat. Even more remarkably, she has done it twice. Only one other player has ever reached the milestone, and only once.

It also set a new Purcell Pavilion scoring record and made Hidalgo the first Division I women’s player to score 40 or more points this season. Clearly, the absence of Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron has not slowed her down. If anything, Hidalgo has elevated her game. 

She currently leads Notre Dame with 25.9 points per game, along with 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 5.6 steals. Most recently, she added 24 points in a 97–48 win over Morehead State. 

As Notre Dame went on a 15–0 run in the second half, Hidalgo contributed eight points. By the end of the game, she had 11 rebounds, recording her second double-double of the season. 

So Hidalgo is a phenom so far, and all signs point to a player fully prepared to dominate, but not just yet.

Can Hannah Hidalgo declare for the WNBA Draft?

Under WNBA draft eligibility rules, a domestic player must meet one of three criteria. She must turn 22 in the calendar year of the draft, have already graduated from a four-year university, or be scheduled to graduate within three months of the draft.

Unfortunately, Hannah Hidalgo meets none of those requirements yet. She turns 21 on February 22 in 2026, making her earliest possible draft year 2027. So for now, her goal is to dominate college basketball and become a better leader.

"I know how to get the best out of my teammates," she said as per the Associated Press. Hidalgo will get to do exactly that in the next matchup against Duke. The team ranks 39th nationally in rebounding and averages 38.1 boards per game. With Hidalgo leading the charge, all eyes will be on Notre Dame.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi