No Sophmore Slump for Hannah Hidalgo

This week’s newsletter may be shorter than the others, but the topic does not lack importance. If you are a new fan of women’s college basketball, then you probably got the back half of Caitlin Clark’s amazing career and also got to witness the South Carolina Gamecocks go undefeated, winning the NCAA national championship. While in the midst of that action, a young freshman named Hannah Hildago was slowly but surely bringing Notre Dame back to their glory days. In her freshmen year alone, she was able to take Notre Dame to the Sweet Sixteen. She carried the team, averaging 23.3 points per game. Now, for many, having such an amazing freshmen season can put too much pressure on being better for their sophomore year, but for Hannah Hildago, that sophomore slump doesn't exist. She has been destroying teams left and right, averaging 24.6 points per game this season. With the help of returning senior Olivia Miles, Hildago has been able to have a partner in crime. Having that extra star on the team has allowed Hildago to flourish, and it proved to be a problem for UCONN this past Thursday night. Thursday, Dec 12, the fighting Irish battled against the number 2 team in the country, UCONN. The guard match-up was elite, with Paige Bueckers guarding Hildago. The senior vs sophomore match-up was good on paper, but that night was Hildagos night. in the first half, she went for 19 points. She still couldn’t be stopped in the second half, and she finished the game with 29 points and eight assists. Notre Dame was able to get the upset win over UConn at home and did it in front of Legnadary Alum like Skyler Diggins-Smith, Jewell Llyod, and Arike Ogunbowale. With the season still fresh it may be safe to say Hiladgo is on our watch list for this season’s best player of the year regardless of whether they end up winning it all or not she is a force to be reckoned with.