Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo wins Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
Capping off a historic junior season, Notre Dame women’s basketball’s Hannah Hidalgo has been named the Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year. She is the eighth different winner in the award’s nine-year history and the first to represent the Irish.
The award has quickly become prestigious, being won in the past twice by Indiana Fever All-Star and South Carolina legend Aliyah Boston, once by Los Angeles Sparks and Stanford standout Cameron Brink and current UCLA First Team All-American Lauren Betts. Hidalgo is just the second guard to win the award and the first listed under 6-foot, 2-inches, as Hidalgo stands at 5-foot, 6-inches.
Hidalgo has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Year and a Wooden Award All-American in all three of her collegiate seasons. This year, she became the first player in NCAA history to record 200 steals in a single season, finishing at 202.
Hidalgo broke the NCAA single-game steals record with 16 Nov. 12 against Akron, and she broke the NCAA single-tournament record with 29 in just four March Madness games during Notre Dame’s run to the Elite Eight.
https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2026/04/01/hannah-hidalgo-wins-womens-basketball-naismith-defensive-player-of-the-year-notre-dame/89415017007/