2025-26 ACC Women’s Basketball Awards: Hannah Hidalgo Wins Player and Defensive Player of the Year
The 2025-26 ACC Women’s Basketball awards are officially in, and Hannah Hidalgo has once again made conference history.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball junior guard was named both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, marking the second consecutive season she has swept the league’s top individual honors. With the announcement, Hidalgo becomes the first player in ACC history to win both awards in back-to-back seasons.
This year also marked the first time since 2021-22 that the All-ACC teams were split between league coaches and the ACC Blue Ribbon Panel, though both voting groups agreed on all major award winners.
Hannah Hidalgo Makes ACC History
Offensively, Hidalgo led the ACC and ranked third nationally in scoring at 25.2 points per game. On January 22, she became the fastest player in conference history to reach 2,000 career points. She currently sits at 2,281 career points — second among active Division I players and 12th on the ACC’s all-time scoring list.
Defensively, her impact has been just as dominant. Hidalgo recorded 162 steals this season, the second-highest single-season total in ACC history and just three shy of the record set by former Virginia Cavaliers women's basketballstandout Donna Holt in 1987. She also captured her third straight Defensive Player of the Year award, joining former Duke Blue Devils women's basketball star Elizabeth Williams as the only players to win the honor three consecutive times.
Rookie, Sixth Player and Most Improved Honors
Uche Izoje of the Syracuse Orange women's basketball earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The freshman center posted 13 double-doubles this season — the most among ACC freshmen — and won ACC Rookie of the Week eight times, a program record. Izoje becomes just the second Syracuse player to win the award, joining Kamilla Cardoso.
At Louisville Cardinals women's basketball, guard Imari Berry was named ACC Sixth Player of the Year. Berry averaged 10.7 points per game and delivered a career-high 33-point performance in an overtime win over NC State Wolfpack women's basketball in January. She becomes Louisville’s first Sixth Player of the Year since Dana Evans in 2019.
Meanwhile, Cassandre Prosper earned ACC Most Improved Player honors after increasing her scoring average from 5.8 points per game over her first three seasons to 14.1 this year. Prosper recorded six double-doubles after entering the season without one in her collegiate career, becoming the first Notre Dame player to win the award.
Kara Lawson Named ACC Coach of the Year
Kara Lawson of the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball was named ACC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career.
Lawson guided Duke to a 16-2 conference record and its first outright ACC regular-season championship since 2013. After a 3-6 start, the Blue Devils responded with 17 straight wins to close the regular season and secure the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament.
All-ACC Teams and Tournament Outlook
The All-ACC First and Second Teams feature 10 players each, while the All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams include six selections apiece. Seven players earned First Team recognition from both coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel.
The 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament tips off March 4 at Gas South Arena in Greater Atlanta. First- and second-round games will air on ACC Network, with quarterfinals split between ACC Network and ESPN2. The semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN2, and the championship game will air live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.
Now in its 49th year, the tournament will be played at a neutral site outside the Carolinas for the first time in conference history.
2025-26 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Team (as voted on by the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel)
Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Rookie of the Year: Uche Izoje, Syracuse
Coach of the Year: Kara Lawson, Duke
Sixth Player of the Year: Imari Berry, Louisville
Most Improved Player: Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame
All-ACC First Team
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame 1,147
Toby Fournier, Duke 1,085
Kymora Johnson, Virginia 956
Khamil Pierre, NC State 923
Zoe Brooks, NC State 758
Uche Izoje, Syracuse 739
Laura Ziegler, Louisville 562
Taina Mair, Duke 481
Ra Shaya Kyle, Miami 469
Talayah Walker, Georgia Tech 435
All-ACC Second Team
Nyla Harris, North Carolina 411
Lulu Twidale, California 392
Ashlon Jackson, Duke 371
Tajianna Roberts, Louisville 336
Nunu Agara, Stanford 329
Carleigh Wenzel, Virginia Tech 326
Mia Moore, Clemson 289
Indya Nivar, North Carolina 287
Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame 269
Imari Berry, Louisville 234
All-Defensive Team
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame 326
Toby Fournier, Duke 215
Uche Izoje, Syracuse 197
Indya Nivar, North Carolina 121
Taina Mair, Duke 103
Brianna Turnage, Georgia Tech 83
All-Freshman Team
Uche Izoje, Syracuse 340
Lara Somfai, Stanford 239
Arianna Roberson, Duke 169
Nyla Brooks, North Carolina 142
Theresa Hagans, Pitt 97
Milan Brown, Wake Forest 84
Coach of the Year
Kara Lawson, Duke 193
Jeff Walz, Louisville 97
Felisha Legette-Jack, Syracuse 75
Sixth Player of the Year
Imari Berry, Louisville 223
Arianna Roberson, Duke 95
Nyla Brooks, North Carolina 68
Most Improved Player
Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame 86
Brianna Turnage, Georgia Tech 74
Elif Istanbulluoglu, Louisville 69
2025-26 All-ACC Team (as voted on by the league’s head coaches)
Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Rookie of the Year: Uche Izoje, Syracuse
Coach of the Year: Kara Lawson, Duke
Sixth Player of the Year: Imari Berry, Louisville
Most Improved Player: Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame
All-ACC First Team
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame 334
Toby Fournier, Duke 320
Kymora Johnson, Virginia 299
Khamil Pierre, NC State 274
Zoe Brooks, NC State 250
Uche Izoje, Syracuse 212
Laura Ziegler, Louisville 181
Nyla Harris, North Carolina 163
Tajianna Roberts, Louisville 150
Ashlon Jackson, Duke 147
All-ACC Second Team
Taina Mair, Duke 137
Ra Shaya Kyle, Miami 127
Mia Moore, Clemson 114
Lulu Twidale, California 112
Carleigh Wenzel, Virginia Tech 110
Carys Baker, Virginia Tech 99
Nunu Agara, Stanford 90
Talayah Walker, Georgia Tech 89
Indya Nivar, North Carolina 87
Laila Phelia, Syracuse 84
All-Defensive Team
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame 102
Toby Fournier, Duke 60
Uche Izoje, Syracuse 55
Indya Nivar, North Carolina 53
Taina Mair, Duke 30
Brianna Turnage, Georgia Tech 19
All-Freshman Team
Uche Izoje, Syracuse 96
Arianna Roberson, Duke 62
Lara Somfai, Stanford 57
Nyla Brooks, North Carolina 47
Hailee Swain, Stanford 34
Theresa Hagans, Pitt 25
Coach of the Year
Kara Lawson, Duke 66
Jeff Walz, Louisville 41
Felisha Legette-Jack, Syracuse 21
Sixth Player of the Year
Imari Berry, Louisville 75
Arianna Roberson, Duke 32
Chloe Clardy, Stanford 24
Most Improved Player
Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame 60
Elif Istanbulluoglu, Louisville 30
Zamareya Jones, NC State 22
