The ACC released the results of its postseason awards, and Hannah Hidalgo was voted as the ACC Player of the Year as well as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Notre Dame’s Cassandre Prosper was also voted as the ACC’s Most Improved Player of the Year.
From the ACC:
ACC Women’s Basketball Announces 2025-26 Award Winners
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame junior guard Hannah Hidalgo has been chosen as the 2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year,
headlining the 2025-26 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Team and individual award winners.
This season marked the first time since 2021-22 the All-ACC teams were split between the coaches and the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel.
The media and coaches’ All-ACC Teams featured the same yearly award winners. Syracuse’s Uche Izoje was tabbed the ACC Rookie of the Year, while Louisville’s Imari Berry earned ACC Sixth Player of the Year honors. Notre Dame’s Cassandre Prosper was named the ACC Most Improved Player, and Duke head coach Kara Lawson earned ACC Coach of the Year honors for the first time in her career.
Hidalgo becomes the first player in ACC history to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. On the offensive end, the Merchantville, New Jersey, native leads the conference and ranks third nationally in scoring at 25.2 points per game. On January 22, she became the fastest player in ACC history to reach 2,000 career points. Hidalgo currently ranks second among active Division I players in total points with 2,281, a mark that ranks 12th on the ACC’s all-time scoring list. On Monday, she won her seventh ACC Player of the Week award, the most in a single season in conference history.
On the defensive side, Hidalgo has recorded 162 steals this season, the second most in ACC history. She is currently three steals shy of breaking the ACC single-season record set by former Virginia standout Donna Holt in 1987. Her 162 steals this season are more than the combined total of 15 Division I teams this year. This marks the third straight season Hidalgo has won Defensive Player of the Year, joining Duke’s Elizabeth Williams as the only players in league history to win the award in three consecutive seasons.
Izoje becomes just the second Syracuse player to win ACC Rookie of the Year, joining Kamilla Cardoso (2021). The Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, native is nearly averaging a double-double this season with 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The center ranks third in the ACC and leads league freshmen with 13 double-doubles this season, capped by three straight entering the postseason. Izoje was named ACC Rookie of the Week eight times this season, the most weekly honors by a Syracuse player in program history.
Lawson led Duke to its first ACC outright regular-season championship since 2013 with a 16-2 league record, its most conference wins since the 2012-13 season. After suffering six losses in their first nine games, the Blue Devils rattled off 17 straight victories to close the regular season at 21 wins and to earn the No. 1 seed in this week’s Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. Named to the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time on February 18, Lawson becomes the first Duke coach to win ACC Coach of the Year since Joanne P. McCallie in 2013.
Berry ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. The Clarksville, Tennessee, native enters the postseason having scored in double figures in four of her last five games. Berry’s season was highlighted by a career-high 33 points in Louisville’s 88-80 overtime win over NC State on January 18, as she finished 14-of-23 from the field, pulled down 12 rebounds and added three steals. The guard was named ACC Player of the Week the following day. Berry becomes the first Cardinal to win ACC Sixth Player of the Year since Dana Evans in 2019.
Prosper, who entered the 2025-26 season without recording a career double-double, has posted six this year. The Montreal, Quebec, Canada, native, who averaged just 5.8 points per game in her first three seasons, ranks second on the team at 14.1 points per game. In ACC play, Prosper averaged 13.3 points per game and ranks ninth in the conference with a 46.9 shooting percentage. She becomes the first Notre Dame player to win the Most Improved Player award.
The All-ACC Teams consist of 10 players per team, while the All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams consist of six players each. Seven players landed on both All-ACC First Teams.
The 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday, March 4, at Gas South Arena in Greater Atlanta. The first and second rounds will air on ACC Network, while ESPN2 and ACC Network will split coverage of Friday’s quarterfinals. ESPN2 will continue coverage of Saturday’s semifinals, and Sunday’s championship game will air live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.
In its 49th year, the tournament’s 2026 edition marks the first time the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament will be played at a neutral site outside the Carolinas.
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
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 DameAll-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
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 DameAll-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
From the ND press release:
Hidalgo Earns ACC Player Of The Year Honors For Second Straight Season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo’s extensive list of honors and awards keeps growing. On Tuesday, the junior was named ACC Player of the Year for the second straight season and ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.
Hidalgo earned both awards from both the league’s head coaches voting and by the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel.
Cassandre Prosper also picked up league honors, becoming the first Notre Dame player to be selected the ACC Most Improved Player by both the coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel.
Hidalgo is the first Notre Dame player to earn the ACC’s top honor multiple times and is the fourth to receive the honor joining Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride [Coaches’ Poll] and Brianna Turner.
Hidalgo becomes the first player in ACC history to win Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. The guard is the 11th player in league history to earn multiple ACC Player of the Year honors in her career and just the second to be named ACC Defensive Player of the Year three times.
Hidalgo was also named to the All-ACC First Team and All-ACC Defensive teams for the third year in a row.
The Merchantville, New Jersey, native is averaging 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 steals and 5.4 assists per game. Hidalgo is the only women’s player at the DI level since the 1999-00 season to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game.
The junior has turned in many incredible performances this season while breaking records along the way. Hidalgo set the all-time record for steals in a game and the program’s single-game scoring record against Akron, finishing with 44 points and 16 rebounds. She has the career program scoring records for 30-point games (18), 20-point games (73) and consecutive games in double figures (96).
Hidalgo broke the program’s record for career steals (441) and season steals (162). The standout became the fastest player in ACC and program history to reach 2,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in 86 games.
In the final game of the regular season, Hidalgo recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a road win over No. 10 Louisville, becoming the first ACC player to have 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game since 2001.
CASSANDRE PROSPER
The senior took a major leap in production this season and the league took notice, naming her the ACC Most Improved Player. Prosper was also selected to the All-ACC Second Team by the league’s head coaches.
Prosper is averaging career highs in points per game (14.1), rebounds per game (7.1), assists per game (1.9), steals per game (1.7), blocks per game (1.0), field-goal percentage (49.4) and three-point percentage (35.6).
The small forward has been named the USBWA National Player of the Week on two occasions, joining Hidalgo as the only two ACC players to accomplish the feat this year.
Prosper also has finished in double figures in 22 games this season and has six double-doubles, three coming with 20+ points.
