Hannah Hidalgo has already rewritten the record books at Notre Dame in her first two seasons. On Wednesday, she etched her name into a realm that only a few nationally have ever reached by being named an Associated Press first-team All-American selection as both a freshman and sophomore (joining USC star JuJu Watkins this year, and UConn’s Maya Moore and Oklahoma’s Courtney Parris from previous seasons).
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
“All Glory to God,” Hidalgo posted on X when sharing about the honor. She was nearly a unanimous choice, receiving all but two first-place votes.
All Glory to God https://t.co/mCKhk8BgGC
— Hannah Hidalgo (@HannahHidalgo) March 19, 2025
Hidalgo has dominated all season for Notre Dame, earning both ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. She’s averaging 24.2 points (fourth in the country), 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 steals (fourth in the country a year after leading the category). Her play has helped the Fighting Irish earn a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they’ll host Stephen F. Austin in the first round on Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
As a freshman, Hidalgo broke the ACC’s freshman scoring record, and in December, she broke a program record by reaching the 1,000-point mark in just her 44th game for the Fighting Irish. The previous record was held by Beth Morgan, who needed 60 games.
As she has emerged as one of the best players in the country, Hidalgo has regularly shared about her faith in God in interviews, and she joined the Sports Spectrum Podcast in August 2024 to talk about her faith journey.
“Christ is my everything,” she said on the podcast. “I mean, He’s my Lord and Savior. He’s the reason that I fight, the reason that I do everything, the reason that I’m able to do what I do. He’s just everything in my life, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without Him.”
The foundations of her faith were built during her childhood, growing up in a family of believers where church was part of the weekly routine.
“We were in church every Sunday,” she said. “My mom had me front row, and she would have me singing sometimes with her in the little choir. We had a really small church. Everybody knew each other.”
Rated No. 5 in ESPN’s 2023 class and the 2023 Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year, Hidalgo took official visits to Duke, Notre Dame and Stanford. But when it came time to pick a college, she ultimately chose Notre Dame because of the tight-knit community she saw within the program.
“It felt like a family,” she said. “It felt like a home. The people truly felt genuine, like they truly loved each other. It truly felt like a family environment. Not feeling that from other schools, it really meant a lot seeing that at Notre Dame.”
The faith of head coach Niele Ivey also factored into Hidalgo’s decision. She often attends church with Ivey and other members of the coaching staff.
“I never heard anything bad about Coach Ivey,” Hidalgo said. “All I heard was, ‘What you see is what you’re going to get.’ And she’s truly genuine. I wanted to play for a coach that was like that, to where I could play hard and kind of run through a wall for her. And she’s that person.”
To God be the Glory! 🙌🏼Thank you! https://t.co/lJQeMShsEA
— Hannah Hidalgo (@HannahHidalgo) March 4, 2025
Hidalgo credits her faith with helping her stay grounded as the accolades keep rolling in. Praying with her family before games has been a big help in doing that.
“I think her faith has helped her to stay humble and appreciative of her achievements,” Hannah’s father Orlando told Sports Spectrum for a Winter 2024 magazine feature. “If you think about it, with so much success and so many records being broken, it can get to your head, especially as a teenager.”
Like any great athlete, Hannah is passionate and competitive, which can lead to her being frustrated on the court at times. When that happens, Orlando has encouraged her to think of a passage from Scripture to remind her where her identity lies. One that Hannah often uses comes from Ephesians 4:26: “In your anger do not sin.”
“Your character always lasts,” Hannah said on the podcast. “Your relationship and who you are in Christ will always last. … And you don’t want to sin against Christ for a talent that He’s given you. You don’t want to use that talent to bring shame to Christ.”
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<
RELATED STORIES:
— WHAT’S UP PODCAST: 7 college basketball stars to watch during March Madness
— UCLA women’s coach Cori Close leans on ‘dependent relationship’ with Christ
— Coach Vic Schaefer leads Texas women as he continues to ‘praise the Lord’
— Hailey Van Lith leads TCU on postseason run as she lives ‘to serve Jesus’
— WHAT’S UP PODCAST: Raegan Beers – Oklahoma Sooners Women’s Basketball
