If Notre Dame is to beat a ranked opponent for the fifth time this season, the Fighting Irish will have to do it without their best player. Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo will not play Thursday night against No. 17 Georgia Tech. Hidalgo is missing her second consecutive game — the first two absences of her career — with a sprained ankle. A Notre Dame spokesperson told Blue & Gold Hidalgo has “lingering soreness” in the affected area. Head coach Niele Ivey told reporters Hidalgo should be good to go during a media availability Wednesday afternoon, but clearly whatever occurred in the next 30ish hours did not allow for Hidalgo to take the floor. She sustained the injury exactly a week ago at the end of Notre Dame’s win over Wake Forest. She wore a brace on the bench for the Clemson game on Sunday. Tonight, she was spotted pregame in normal sneakers. She wasn’t moving around much, but she did not seem to be laboring either. Hidalgo is averaging 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.7 assists per game for a Fighting Irish team with a 14-2 overall record and 5-0 mark in league play. The latter is on the line against a solid Yellow Jackets team that started this season 15-0 but as since lost back-to-back games to Virginia Tech and Louisville. It’ll still be a challenge for Notre Dame to win without its floor general. Hidalgo started the first 50 games of her career before missing these two. She’s been everything for the Irish every time she’s taken the court. In her absence, someone you could say the same about for a couple seasons will have to turn back the clock a couple years and be the Irish’s do-it-all player — senior guard Olivia Miles. Top 101Trump, SabanDuo's NIL order blasted Hot32026 NFL Mock DraftTodd McShay looks ahead By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms and use of my personal information described therein Miles has appeared to relish in playing off the ball more than she did in her first two seasons in South Bend She already has three triple-doubles this season Georgia Tech has three players averaging at least 13.1 points per game. The Jackets are led by junior guard Kara Dunn‘s 16.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. She turned into one of the ACC’s better players in averaging 15.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore. Georgia Tech is has the No. 3 scoring average in the ACC, right behind Notre Dame at No. 2. The Irish, though, only scored 67 points at Clemson in their last game without Hidalgo. Points could be at a premium without her out there again Thursday. 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Open navigationClose navigationHome All the major chapters in the American story from Indigenous beginnings to the present day History from countries and communities across the globe thousands of prospectors poured into California the new residents wanted to make sure California included all potential gold fields in the Sierra Nevada range and “forty-niners” began flooding into California chasing after the fist-sized gold nuggets rumored to be strewn about the ground just waiting to be picked up California’s population and wealth skyrocketed Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on September 9th On September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the “United States” of America. This replaced the term “United Colonies,” which had been in general use. In the Congressional declaration dated September 9, 1776, the delegates wrote, “That in all continental commissions, and other instruments, where, heretofore, […] Frances Folsom Cleveland, the wife of President Grover Cleveland, gives birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House. On June 2, 1886, in an intimate ceremony held in the Blue Room of the White House, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom, the daughter of Cleveland’s late law partner and friend, Oscar Folsom. Fewer than […] 1919 The infamous Boston Police Strike of 1919 begins, causing an uproar around the nation and confirming the growing influence of unions on American life.  As society changed in the 20th century, police were expected to act more professionally. Some of their previous practices were no longer countenanced. Explanations such as that later given by the […] Audiences at the Fox Theater in Riverside, California, get a surprise showing of Gone with the Wind, which the theater manager shows as a second feature. Producer David O. Selznick sat in the back and observed the audience reaction to his highly anticipated—and highly controversial—film. The movie was released a few months later. In the […] On September 9, 1942, a Japanese floatplane drops incendiary bombs on an Oregon state forest—the first air attack on the U.S. mainland in the war. Launching from the Japanese sub I-25, Nobuo Fujita piloted his light aircraft over the state of Oregon and firebombed Mount Emily, alighting a state forest. The president immediately called for […] Elvis Presley appears for the first time on the popular "Ed Sullivan Show." With 60 million viewers tuning in, the appearance garnered the show’s best ratings in two years and became the most-watched TV broadcast of the 1950s. 1967 Sergeant Duane D. Hackney is presented with the Air Force Cross for bravery in rescuing an Air Force pilot in Vietnam. He was the first living Air Force enlisted man to receive the award, the nation’s second highest award for bravery in action. Funeral services, attended by 250,000 mourners, are held for Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square. Among those in attendance were Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin, Chinese Vice-Premier Li Hsien-nien and Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. Ho had established the Indochinese Communist Party in 1929. In September 1945, as the defeated Japanese prepared to leave […] Prisoners seize control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York beginning on September 9, 1971. Later that day, state police retook most of the prison, but 1,281 convicts occupied an exercise field called D Yard, where they held 39 prison guards and employees hostage for four days. After negotiations stalled, state police and […] Mao Zedong, who led the Chinese people through a long revolution and then ruled the nation’s communist government from its establishment in 1949, dies. Along with V.I. Lenin and Joseph Stalin, Mao was one of the most significant communist figures of the Cold War. Mao was born in China in 1893. During the 1910s, he […] On September 9, 2002, astronaut Buzz Aldrin—the second human to set foot on the moon—is walking outside a Beverly Hills hotel when a conspiracy theorist starts harassing him and accusing Aldrin of lying about the Apollo 11 moon landing. Incensed, Aldrin punches his heckler in the face. “You’re the one who said you walked on […] 2007 On September 9, 2007, the NFL catches the New England Patriots illegally videotaping coaching signals of the New York Jets from an unauthorized location in a Week 1 game in East Rutherford, N.J.—a scandal the media soon dubs “Spygate.”  Just before halftime of the Patriots’ 38-14 Patriots win, a 26-year-old New England video assistant named […] Since 1938, the U.S. federal government has established that workers are entitled to a base hourly wage. Which workers receive that minimum—and how much—has remained a political issue. The explorers not only produced maps from their 1804-1806 expedition to the American West, they also recorded some 122 animals new to science. After fighting in the Civil War and later military engagements, the famous all-black regiments protected the National Parks. Land symbolized opportunity to generations of Americans, starting with colonists. 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But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day Learn something new with key events in history from the American Revolution to pop culture you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States The New York SunJoin TodaySign InForeignAnd the Gold Medal for Olympic Vanité Goes to the Socialist Mayor of Paris as Macron Works the Phones From South of FranceThe Olympic pause from domestic woes and winds of war is about to end France checks out for les vacances — unless you’re the mayor of Paris who has just mistaken a relatively uneventful Olympics for vindication of years of failed leftist policies in which case you might think it possible to solve the world’s ills from a sunbed somewhere south of Saint-Tropez Hidalgo leads the charge for premature hubris as she leverages the soon-to-conclude Games of the 33rd Olympiad to burnish her image ahead of the 2026 municipal elections in France In an interview with Le Monde, the Paris mayor said, “The message from the far right has been crushed by these games and by the opening ceremony.” Seemingly oblivious to the firestorm over the depiction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” as a drag performance as part of that ceremony The “far right message” was in the mayor’s estimation undone because “Paris is the city of all freedoms a mayor of foreign origin with dual nationality a feminist mayor and an environmentalist mayor.”  who is a national of both France and Spain appeared to be settling scores with the increasingly center-right National Rally party of Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen.  During his campaign in the snap French parliamentary elections in June and July Bardella said that he favored scrapping the droit du sol he would refuse high-ranking posts in the French government to dual nationals Hidalgo tossed some more of her signature salade des mots with this nugget: “All populists and pressing on the small fact or a real fact winning less than 2 percent of the vote in the first round of voting she has found a safe harbor of sorts in Paree and appears to be laying the groundwork for a run for a third term as mayor in 2026.  By that time the French presidential election will be looming large and President Macron will likely be even less relevant a figure on the European stage than he is currently has already tendered his resignation and the New Popular Front a hastily cobbled together coalition of left-wing parties ranging from communists to socialists From Brégançon, Mr. Macron reportedly phoned Prime Minister Netanyahu to request that he avoid a “cycle of retaliation” in the Middle East and “to enter into the same logic that must apply to all parties in the region.” One of those parties is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, and Mr. Macron called President Pezeshkian too, asking him nicely to “avoid a cycle of reprisals that would put people and regional stability at risk.” The memo that Mr. Macron has apparently missed is that regional stability, at least in much of the Middle East, is long gone. Despite its legacy of influence over Lebanon, a former French mandate, France has so far mostly come up short in wielding its faded clout to any tangible effect. Hezbollah’s deadly cross-border attacks against communities in northern Israel continue unabated.  Also, perfunctory phone calls didn’t quite cut it with President Putin, n’est-ce pas?  Chances are they will not do much to deter Tehran either.  There is speculation that Mr. Macron will decamp from the south of France to Paris to attend the closing ceremony of the Games. Afterward, the vainglorious mayoress will have earned a little  breather, but the lid on French domestic turmoil won’t stay closed for anybody much longer. Mr. Grant, a California native who has written for many major newspapers including France-Soir and the New York Times and worked in television at Paris (France24) and Tel Aviv (i24news), is now based in Athens as a staff reporter and editor of The New York Sun. 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Best Version Media, LLC. non-quarterbacks who stood out at Saturday's open Notre Dame football practice the impact of Hannah Hidalgo's announcement that she's returning to Notre Dame women's basketball Sonia Citron's thank you to ND and head coach Niele Ivey and more Shop for Irish Breakdown gear at our online store: https://ibstore.irishbreakdown.com/ Join the Irish Breakdown premium message board: https://boards.irishbreakdown.com Stay locked into Irish Breakdown for all the latest news and analysis about Notre Dame: https://www.irishbreakdown.com.. www.youtube.com • Irish Breakdown - Notre Dame Football We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it OK Privacy policy If you’re a Notre Dame women’s basketball fan who hasn’t made it a habit of going through every box score in the Fighting Irish’s last 50 games Hannah Hidalgo. If you went box score diving Sunday evening, though, you didn’t see her name or any of her mind-blowing statistics for the first time in her career. Hidalgo sat out the Irish’s game at Clemson with a tweaked ankle suffered at the end of the Wake Forest game last Thursday. Notre Dame beat the Tigers, 67-58, but would have likely won by a lot more if Hidalgo had played because, well, that’s just what Notre Dame does when Hidalgo plays — wins by a lot. Sunday’s shutdown of the team’s most important player was to ensure more of that big-time winning thing can come in the short and longterm future. Per a team spokesperson, “she’s fine.” “She rolled her ankle late in the last game, and we just want to give her a bit of extra rest and make sure she’s 100% for the rest of the season,” the spokesperson told Blue & Gold. “We’re just being extra careful making sure she gets that proper rest, and then we’ll assess her this week,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey added. By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein. Hidalgo is a National Player of the Year candidate and perhaps even the frontrunner for the coveted award. She’s averaging 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.7 assists per game. She’s on pace to beat her own single-season scoring average record, which she set with a mark of 22.6 as a freshman last season. Hidalgo joined a lengthy list of Notre Dame players who have missed at least one game with injuries this season; graduate senior forwards Liza Karlen, Maddy Westbeld and Liatu King, senior guard Sonia Citron, sophomore guard Emma Risch and freshman center Kate Koval. Graduate senior center Kylee Watson and junior guard KK Bransford have yet to play at all this season. It’s possible both of them never do; Bransford has already ruled herself out for the season with a foot injury, and Watson is coming back from a torn ACL suffered last spring. Fortunately for Notre Dame, Hidalgo’s situation is nowhere near as dire. She could be on the floor again as soon as this Thursday when the Fighting Irish have another big ACC home game against No. 13 Georgia Tech (15-1, 3-1). Notre Dame is going for a third consecutive national championship. The Fighting Irish have to go on the road in round one in pursuit of it.... The Notre Dame men's lacrosse team is once again the class of the conference. That was made evident by Tuesday's awards announcement.... The transfer portal opens this week. This is what Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said about one of the biggest portal stories ever.... On3 national scout Cody Bellaire named Notre Dame QB commit Noah Grubbs a top performer of OT7, Overtime's latest 7-on-7 tournament. Bellaire shared... This is everything Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said following the Fighting Irish's spring scrimmage on Saturday, April 6.... Mundelein (Ill.) 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Riley Leonard, Howard Cross: Stanford vs. Notre Dame game balls... we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links the US women’s national team beat Brazil 1-0 in the gold medal match securing the top stop at the Olympic Games for the first time since 2012 The sole goal was scored in minute 57 by Mallory Swanson Photo: Getty ImagesTeam USA continued an impressive showing in track and field, with the women winning gold in the 4x100m relay. The participating sprinters were, in order, Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas, and Vogue’s August digital cover star, Sha’Carri Richardson Though she was behind opponents from Great Britain and Germany upon taking the baton—and despite the rain at Stade de France—Richardson flew by the competition in the anchor leg 2024 will go down in track and filed history Defending Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won gold in the 400m hurdles McLaughlin-Levrone—who turned 25 the day the before the competition—broke her own Olympic record (51.46) and the world record she set back in June (50.65) After clearing all ten hurdles on the Stade de France track the New Jersey native shared an embrace with her family McLaughlin-Levrone posed with teammate Tara Davis-Woodhall who won gold in the long jump (and accessorized with a cowboy hat) Cindy Ngamba after her quarterfinal match against Davina Michel of Team France on August 4 Two Carribean islands captured their first Olympic medals ever on August 3—and both of them golds: Dominica (thanks to triple-jumper Thea LaFond-Gadson) and St. Lucia (thanks to sprinter Julien Alfred—who had to beat out Sha‘Carri Richardson in the process) David de Pina’s bronze in boxing also became Cabo Verde’s first medal Badminton player Liu Yuchen proposes to gold medalist Huang Yaqiong after the medal ceremony following the mixed-doubles gold medal match on day seven of the Olympic Games “Today I am an Olympic champion and I got proposed [to] after French athlete Alice Finot finished fourth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase she walked up to the stands and proposed to her boyfriend Spanish triathlete Bruno Martínez Bargiela after the 3000-meter steeplechase final on August 6 (Her time was 8:58.67.) “I don’t like doing things like everyone else I told myself that maybe it was up to me to do it.” A close finish in the men’s 100-meter on August 4 After running in a blisteringly fast semi that saw Lyles narrowly lose to Jamaica’s Oblique Seville the 27-year-old sprinter took the gold in the 100-meter final—becoming the first American since 2004 (Justin Gatlin) to do so with Lyles besting Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five-thousandths of a second Novak Djokovic poses with his medal on the podium after tennis’s men’s singles final on Court Philippe-Chatrier A few short weeks after falling to Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles final at Wimbeldon Novak Djokovic thoroughly turned the tables beating the 21-year-old Spaniard in straight sets (7-6 In a match that came down to tiebreakers in both sets—and attracted an audience including Billie Jean King and Sharon Stone—each player was competing at his highest level with Djokovic falling to his hands and knees in tears after match point Olympic gold was the only major title in tennis that had so far eluded him.) Currently ranked number two in the world then flew into the stands to hug his family and hold up a huge Serbian flag for the crowd Djokovic’s win came a day after Qinwen Zheng beat Donna Vekic of Croatia in the women’s final—claiming China’s first gold medal in tennis singles in the process Competitors swim in the Seine in the men's individual triathlon event on July 31 Katie Ledecky celebrates her win after the women’s 1,500-m freestyle final on July 31 With her jaw-dropping result in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle—her 15:30.02 finish set a new Olympic record—Ledecky won her eighth career Olympic gold medal on July 31 tying a record set by fellow swimmer Jenny Thomson 20 years ago Ledecky officially became the most decorated American woman in Olympic history Simone Biles competes on the uneven bars during the artistic gymnastics women’s team final on July 30 reacting to a video of Kim at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Baku where she set a new world record in the women’s 25-meter Nada Hafez of Egypt waves to the crowd following her victory against Elizabeth Tartakovsky of Team USA in the women’s sabre individual table of 32 on July 29 “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous however worth it.” The 2024 Games marked Hafez’s third appearance at the Olympics; she previously competed in Rio and Tokyo (He had to sit through two hours of the competition before his turn—a winning psychic accomplishment as well as a physical one!) Chase Budinger and Miles Evans of Team USA celebrate during the men’s preliminary phase of beach volleyball who began his professional athletic career as a basketball player hooping for teams including the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves shifted his focus to beach volleyball in 2017 making his Olympic debut with playing partner Miles Evans Budinger celebrated his premier Olympic victory defeating Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat of France in straight sets Marchand during the men’s 400-meter individual medley final Beating a 400-meter record set in 2008 by one Michael Phelps earning him his first Olympic gold medal (and a congratulatory call from French President Emmanuel Macron) I felt very proud to be myself and to be also French,” Marchand told reporters Lauren Scruggs and Lee Kiefer compete in the women’s foil individual gold medal bout on July 28 In a women’s individual foil final that saw two Americans, Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs becoming the first US woman and only the third woman ever to win two Olympic gold medals in fencing became the first Black fencer from Team USA to medal in a women’s individual event at the Olympics Caeleb Dressel poses with his medal on the podium of the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay swimming event The men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay team, anchored by Caeleb Dressel claimed gold for the USA on July 27—marking the nation’s first gold medal at the Paris Games and Hunter Armstrong posted a combined time of 3:09.28 This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from I followed it with my gaze until I saw it bounce inside the boat But unfortunately the bounce was in the wrong direction.” Yet Tamberi managed to give the whole ordeal a romantic spin charmingly: “But if it really had to happen […] I couldn’t imagine a better place It will remain forever in the riverbed of the city of love flown away while I was trying to raise the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world If I had to invent an excuse I would never have been so imaginative […] May it be a good omen to return home with an even bigger gold!!!” Leave it to Paris to fill its utterly iconic Olympic venues with all manner of celebrity onlookers. Among those in the stands on the Olympics’ first weekend were Dr Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Olympics The Best Olympic Uniforms at the Summer 2024 Games From the Archives: Olympians in Vogue The Best Olympic Movies to Watch Ahead of the Paris Games Before the Games Begin, Pharrell Williams, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, Rosalía, and Omar Sy Will Co-Host a Prelude to the Olympics By Scott Mammoser Spain – It might have been the single biggest play in FIBA Under-19 World Cup history With her team up two and a packed house roaring for the Spanish hosts Hannah Hidalgo swiped Alicia Florez Getino with 11 seconds left The steal permitted Team USA to emerge with a third-consecutive gold medal Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers Join today was selected as one of the competition’s All-Star Five which were second behind Joyce Edwards’ 12.6 on the super-balanced USA roster “I am truly blessed to be in this position,” said Hidalgo who also won the Under-17 World Cup last year It’s truly a blessing to be a two-time gold medalist It definitely prepares me for what’s to come in college in those types of hostile environments ‘We have two minutes left; let’s keep on pushing.’ It’s truly an honor to be here; of all the teams that are here it’s a blessing to be one of the five best.” Tune in to Locked On Women’s Basketball Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube “I felt like I became smarter,” Hidalgo said of her growth during the Under-19 World Cup being able to dump down when I see a defender come it’s truly an honor to be here representing my country.” Hidalgo played for her father at Paul VI High School in New Jersey She was named Co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game and tied the event’s record with eight steals Her 5.4 assists at the Under-19 World Cup were second behind Elena Buenavida of Spain her 22 steals were fourth in the tournament “Hannah is an amazing player,” said Under-19 coach Joni Taylor “She comes in and just changes the game She plays on both sides of the ball and takes pride in being a really good defender She takes pride in getting out in transition and knowing when to score for herself and when to distribute to her teammates this is not her first time representing USA Basketball she was one of the youngest players on this team She is going to be fun to watch at Notre Dame.” How dominant was Hidalgo at the Under-19 World Cup FIBA released lists of the top individual games in points and shooting efficiency in Under-19 World Cup history Hidalgo’s is the only USA Basketball name on any of the lists Her 13 assists against the Czech Republic were fourth-most all-time behind the 16 that China’s Zheng Meiling dished in 2007 The eight steals that Hidalgo swiped against Argentina are second only to the 10 that Mali’s Maimouna Haidara recorded against Chinese Taipei this year Think about all of the great players that the U.S has sent to the Under-19 World Cup over the years and it emphasizes how special Hidalgo is and how much more there is to come Scott Mammoser covered the Paris 2024 Olympics for The Next He has also covered major international events for FIBA World Athletics and the International Skating Union He has attended six other Olympics and traveled to more than 90 countries You must be logged in to post a comment Contact Us About Us Privacy Policy We have upgraded our membership system.Please check your mailbox for a secure link to sign in and set up a new password If you have any question or need help, please email editors@thenexthoops.org Monterrey (5-2 aggregate) in their first Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals appearance the Crew advanced to the tournament Final and will play C.F The Black & Gold are currently unbeaten through their six Concacaf Champions Cup matches leading up to the Final the Crew – the only Major League Soccer club to reach the 2024 tournament’s final four – and passionate Black & Gold supporters are preparing to “Clash For The Continent” as the Club has the opportunity to achieve the following: As excitement builds for the “Clash For The Continent,” Columbus today released an inspiring video on social media The Crew are also finalizing details for select fans to join a send-off event prior to the team’s departure to Mexico on Thursday On matchday, the Crew are hosting a Watch Party for the Final at Lower.com Field’s Chase Plaza and Condado Tacos. Gates open at 8 p.m. with multiple onsite activations available to enjoy prior to kickoff at 9:15 p.m. Attendees will receive a limited-edition “Clash For The Continent” poster. Free tickets can be claimed at columbuscrew.com/tickets Crew away supporters section tickets remain available. Fans interested in acquiring tickets in the Columbus Crew Away Supporters section can email thecrew@columbuscrew.com for more information the Crew earned a bye in Round One and Houston Dynamo FC in the Round of 16 The Crew’s first match was away on Wednesday which was the second time that the Crew faced off against an MLS opponent in Concacaf Champions Cup play (Real Salt Lake in 2011 CONCACAF Champions’ League) The win also marked the first win for the Black & Gold against an MLS opponent in competition history which was the first Concacaf Champions Cup game played at Lower.com Field The Crew advanced to the Quarterfinals to take on Tigres UANL of Liga MX the Crew earned a 1-1 result at Lower.com Field The Crew earned a 1-1 (4-3) penalty shootout win against Tigres UANL in the second leg at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza becoming the first MLS team to advance to the next round of the tournament when facing a Liga MX club after hosting and not winning the first leg of the series Columbus also became the first MLS club to claim a penalty shootout victory against a LIGA MX side in Mexico during competitive play The Black & Gold advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals for the first time in Club history The Crew won the first leg 2-1 on April 24 at Lower.com Field The Crew advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup final following a 3-1 victory (5-2 aggregate) in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinal against C.F With the 5-2 aggregate victory against C.F Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals the Crew became the first MLS side to eliminate two Liga MX clubs in two-leg series without sustaining a defeat in Mexico The Club is also the only the second MLS side to advance to the Final after defeating a Liga MX club in the Semifinals since 2008-2009 Monterrey had not lost a knockout round in the Concacaf Champions Cup since the Semifinals in 2005 when they fell to Deportivo Saprissa on penalties Team Brazil renewed their podium success from Lima 2019 Brazil’s victory was achieved by the stellar athletes Miguel Hidalgo the current individual male triathlon champion The silver medal went to the United States with a time of 1:15:26 while Canada secured the bronze in 1:15:36 Although Brazil faced a slight delay during the first transition (T1) which temporarily placed them in the penultimate position Miguel Hidalgo managed to regain the lead during the run segment and achieved a remarkable relay performance Vittoria Lopes successfully solidified their lead and clinched the victory for her team “We are very happy; it was a perfect race despite the conditions and the cold pushing the race forward and gaining an advantage We are all very happy with the gold,” commented Manoel Messias Brazil reaffirmed its dominance in the mixed relay event a title they previously secured at the 2019 Pan American Games where they won the gold with a time of 1:20:34 Manuel Messias and Vittoria Lopes were part of the team that won four years ago and continued their legacy at Santiago 2023 The United States secured second place in the mixed relay triathlon with a time of 1:15:26 the current runner-up in the individual male triathlon and Virginia Serano crossed the finish line just 18 seconds behind the first-place team “We came with expectations of winning the gold medal but some minor errors during the race cost us the gold I think everyone performed well and we finished with the silver medal even though we would have liked to have the gold,” mentioned Francis Rider Liam Donnelly and Dominika Jamnicky were responsible for Canada’s third-place finish in the mixed relay triathlon Coming close to repeating their performance from Lima 2019 Team Canada finished just 10 seconds behind the Americans with a time of 1:15:36 “It was very special to win the medal We worked hard as a team to achieve it and everyone fulfilled their part very well We are all very happy to return home with this,” declared Dominika Jamnicky Written by Catalina Palacios and Karen Padilla The highest Chilean authority surprised everyone by publishing on his social networks […] Seven countries earned the chance to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics […] The continent’s most important youth sporting event and a qualifier to the […] More than 370 athletes in 19 sports will train and prepare for […] Wrestlers of the Americas will have two more opportunities to prepare for […] From the Asuncion 2022 South American Games to the ATP title in […] Paraguay was crowned champions of the Pre-Olympic Football Tournament held in Venezuela Puerto Rico defeated New Zealand 69-67 in an exciting match in China […] Four women’s basketball tournaments are being held simultaneously around the world to […] We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies in order to provide you with the best possible user experience. 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You can get more information about the cookies used in our Cookie Policy Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences There’s no doubting who is the best player in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It’s Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo, winner of the 2024-25 ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, the league announced Friday. The selections were made by a collection of media members on the Blue Ribbon Panel. Hidalgo is averaging 24.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.7 steals per game through 27 appearances this season. She’s shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three-point range and 86.2 percent from the free throw line. She’s second in the conference in scoring, first in steals and fourth in free throw percentage. In addition to Hidalgo’s award wins, Notre Dame is represented on the postseason awards list by senior guards Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles making the All-ACC First Team, graduate senior forward Liatu King earning an All-ACC Second Team nod and freshman center Kate Koval landing on the All-ACC Freshman Team. Citron also was tabbed to the All-ACC Defensive Team. Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey was beat out for ACC Coach of the Year by NC State’s Wes Moore. Ivey and Moore’s teams went head-to-head just over a week ago in a double overtime thriller. The Wolfpack came out on top, 104-95. Both teams finished with a 16-2 conference record, so the tiebreaker went to NC State (24-5). Notre Dame (25-4) will head to Greensboro, N.C., for the ACC Tournament this week as the No. 2 seed. The Fighting Irish begin the tourney Friday at 5 p.m. ET against a team to be determined on Thursday. Here’s a look at all of the award winners from across the conference. 2024-25 All-ACC Women’s Basketball TeamPlayer of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre DameDefensive Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre DameRookie of the Year: Toby Fournier, F, DukeCoach of the Year: Wes Moore, NC StateSixth Player of the Year: Dani Carnegie, Fr., G, Georgia TechMost Improved Player: Zoe Brooks, So., G, NC State All-ACC Second TeamHaley Cavinder, Gr., G, Miami – 834Ioanna Krimili, Sr., G, California – 711Ashlon Jackson, Sr., G, Duke – 657Liatu King, Gr., F, Notre Dame – 649Maria Gakdeng, Sr., C, North Carolina – 623Tonie Morgan, Jr., G, Georgia Tech – 611Reniya Kelly, So., G, North Carolina – 585Nunu Agara, So., F, Stanford – 550Tajianna Roberts, Fr., G, Louisville – 456Nya Robertson, Jr., G, SMU – 427 All-Defensive TeamHannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame – 484Makayla Timpson, Florida State – 368Saniya Rivers, NC State – 226Jadyn Donovan, Duke – 161Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina – 123Sonia Citron, Notre Dame – 109 All-Freshman TeamToby Fournier, Duke – 520Tajianna Roberts, Louisville – 410Dani Carnegie, Georgia Tech – 380Tilda Trygger, NC State – 164Lanie Grant, North Carolina – 116Kate Koval, Notre Dame – 103 ACC Most ImprovedZoe Brooks, NC State – 124Reniya Kelly, North Carolina – 114Khadija Faye, Pitt – 96 ACC Sixth PlayerDani Carnegie, Georgia Tech – 372Oluchi Okananwa, Duke – 324Tess Heal, Stanford – 52 ACC Coach of the YearWes Moore, NC State – 306Niele Ivey, Notre Dame – 184Charmin Smith, California – 99 On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media She was recently named the best defensive player — and best overall player, for that matter — in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Could she soon be named the best defensive player in the entire country? Possibly. Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo is that good on that end of the floor And that’s why she was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award on Tuesday Here’s the entire list of candidates. Hidalgo was a semifinalist for this award as a true freshman in 2024, too. She’s one of three sophomores who made the cut this year. There were not any freshmen who made it this time. Hidalgo and West Virginia’s Quinnerly are the only players appearing on the 2024 and 2025 semifinalist list. Hidalgo’s 3.7 steals per game put her fourth nationally in that statistic. She’s reached 5 steals in 11 games this season and has 108 since the start of the campaign. A Notre Dame player has only reached 100 steals in a season four times. Hidalgo owns two of those instances. Notre Dame was bounced from the ACC Tournament in the semifinals on Saturday. The Duke Blue Devils beat the Fighting Irish, 61-56, then went on to win the tourney by beating NC State, 76-62. Against Duke, Hidalgo had 23 points, 6 steals, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. She was the only consistent force for the Fighting Irish in the ballgame. The Irish have reached an inflection point in their season. Not just because the NCAA Tournament starts in a week in a half but because they’re not playing their best basketball of the season on the precipice of it. Far from it, in fact. It’ll take the usual heroics from Hidalgo plus much more for Notre Dame to settle into the postseason and make the deep run that so many thought was inevitable just a few weeks ago. Notre Dame will know its postseason path Sunday when the bracket is unveiled. It sounds like it’s just going to be a one-game absence for Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo Fighting Irish head coach Niele Ivey confirmed with a small gathering of four local reporters Wednesday that Hidalgo is on track to suit up and play against Georgia Tech on Thursday night Hidalgo missed Sunday’s game at Clemson with a rolled ankle she suffered the previous Thursday at the end of Notre Dame’s game against Wake Forest Without their superstar sophomore point guard the Irish put up their lowest points total since losing to Utah on Nov the same number they matched against the Tigers in a 67-58 victory Ivey said it best Wednesday — there is no replacing someone who averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.7 assists per game. Even with someone like senior Olivia Miles, who averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game, running the point, the Notre Dame offense was inevitably going to suffer. And it did. As for Hidalgo? Hardly suffering from her ailment. She’s on the mend. “She’s getting into practice and feeling a lot better, so we’re happy about that,” Ivey said. Hidalgo has been receiving treatment on her ankle two to three times per day, per Ivey, and the first few days after the onset of the injury to stay off her feet and rest. She’s returned to the floor with the hopes of being able to play against a Georgia Tech team that, despite losing its last two games, has a 15-2 overall record. The Yellow Jackets are ranked 17th nationally and have ranked wins over No. 21 Oregon, No. 14 North Carolina and No. 23 Nebraska at the time of tipoff. Notre Dame, meanwhile, is seeking its fifth win over a team ranked at the time of tipoff. All four of the ranked teams that the Irish have taken down so far are currently ranked in the top 14 in the AP Poll; No. 4 USC, No. 6 UConn, No. 7 Texas and No. 14 North Carolina. Notre Dame (14-2, 5-0 ACC) is ranked No. 3 in the country. “This team is really fun to work with, and I’m grateful for where we are right now,” Ivey said. “As a coach, there are always areas I want to get better at. That’s what I’m trying to focus on. Just trying to help them stay focused and be present. We want to be present. “We’re in a really great situaiton right now. We’re at home. We have two home games in the next four days, so really excited about that. Just trying to stay present and continue helping this group get better.” No Notre Dame women’s basketball player in the two-time national championship-winning history of the program has ever won more ACC Player of the Week titles than Hannah Hidalgo The sophomore guard earned her sixth such award Monday and it isn’t even officially winter yet in her second season on campus The Irish have been playing in the ACC since a 2013 move from the Big East One of the two aforementioned national titles has come in that span as well as many more runs to the Final Four seasons guided by incredible players — none of whom won as many ACC Player of the Week nods as Hidalgo Hidalgo averaged 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.5 steals in Notre Dame home wins over then-No. 2 Uconn and Eastern Michigan. It’s the second time this season Hidalgo has been named the ACC Player of the Week and third time a Fighting Irish player has claimed the honor. Senior guard Olivia Miles came away with it the first time it was given out in early November. Hidalgo has emphatically made her case for National Player of the Year. In Notre Dame’s three wins over top-five teams Hidalgo has put up the following stat lines… • 24 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals vs. No. 3 USC • 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals vs. No. 4 Texas • 29 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals vs. No. 2 UConn Hidalgo doesn’t just save her mastery for the best teams in the country, though. She stuffs the stat sheet against everybody. In 11 games this season, Hidalgo averages 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.8 assists per appearance. She’s having an even better year than she did as a freshman when she became one of five freshmen in the history of the sport to be named a First Team Associated Press All-American. The Fighting Irish’s stay outside of the top five of the AP Top 25 was short-lived. Notre Dame (9-2) is now No. 3 after beating then-No. 2 UConn last week followed by a 69-point win over Eastern Michigan. The Irish fell all the way to No. 10 after consecutive losses in the Cayman Islands Classic, but the overall body of work is certainly deserving of one of the top spots in the country. No other team in the nation has a collection of wins quite like those of the Irish. 1. UCLA (10-0) (30 first-place votes)2. South Carolina (10-1) (1)3. Notre Dame (11-2) (1)4. UConn (9-1) 5. LSU (12-0) 6. Texas (10-1)7. USC (10-1)8. Maryland (10-0)9. Duke (9-2)10. Oklahoma (9-1) 11. Ohio State (10-0)12. TCU (10-1)13. Kansas State (11-1)14. West Virginia (10-1)15. Michigan State (10-0) 16. Kentucky (9-1)17. Georgia Tech (11-0)18. Tennessee (8-0)19. North Carolina (10-2)20. Michigan (9-1) 21. NC State (8-3)22. Iowa (9-2)23. Nebraska (10-1)24. Cal (11-1)25. Ole Miss (7-3) Hannah Hidalgo was named a finalist for two national player of the year awards Monday as she leads Notre Dame into the Sweet 16 Hidalgo is up for Naismith Women’s Player of the Year and the Wade Trophy both of which are given to the best player in women’s college basketball She put together a second-straight All-American season The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard from New Jersey shot with startling efficiency drilling 47.3 percent of her shots from the field 40.8 percent from three-point range and 86.3 percent from the free-throw line She also brought her turnovers down from her prolific freshman year The Irish reached the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend for the fourth year in a row under head coach Niele Ivey Austin in the first round and Michigan in the second Game changers ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/KdjHBwkUH1 Fan support for Notre Dame women’s basketball is better than ever Couldn’t have asked for a better home crowd ☘️ Thank you for the love, the noise and the spark!#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/iK2BtxOsqK It might not have led to any commitments yet but the Irish have a ton of momentum on the recruiting trail Intel heading into another big recruiting week at Notre Dame as head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish host more top targets: https://t.co/U3oRx47opN pic.twitter.com/1n9Toq8ZQV The values and the principles that the team holds have been consistent.” — Notre Dame wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. It’s not all bad for Notre Dame women’s basketball at the moment The Fighting Irish have had four players enter the transfer portal this week leaving four scholarship players remaining on the 2025-26 roster One of those just so happens to be one of the best players in the country Rising junior guard Hannah Hidalgo was named one of five Wooden Award finalists this week Hidalgo is up for the prestigious national player of the year award along with three Final Four participants in Madison Booker of Texas, Paige Bueckers of UConn and Lauren Betts of UCLA. USC’s JuJu Watkins rounds out the top five. Hidalgo faced off against three of the finalists Betts being the only one she did not play against this season Hidalgo finished with averages of 23.1 points The Wooden Award winner will be announced later this month Sophomore wide receiver Cam Williams is coming along nicely in spring practices Notre Dame WRs coach Mike Brown called Irish sophomore Cam Williams "a completely different guy" this spring compared to last.Williams gets his licks in vs. Leonard Moore now. Didn't used to happen."He’s building some confidence in what he’s doing."https://t.co/dpzd74fc2L pic.twitter.com/eiZULhCqMB The rest of the Fighting Irish wide receivers got some game Playmakers ☘️👀#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/FuTkgLJL55 Charles Jagusah is an absolute weapon for the Fighting Irish offensive line "You could put him anywhere … He's going to play in the NFL."@CoachTimmyHyde talks Charles Jagusah and potential Notre Dame starting five offensive line 👀☘️ pic.twitter.com/0Bv4snqyI5 — Fighting Irish linebackers coach Max Bullough on senior Jaylen Sneed If what the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Blue Ribbon Panel is predicting manifests, Notre Dame women’s basketball will have a super special season in 2024-25. The Fighting Irish are projected to win the league for the first time since 2018, receiving 70 of 79 first-place panel votes, and sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo has been named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year Senior guards Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron join Hidalgo on the 10-player Preseason All-ACC Team. Graduate senior forward Liza Karlen and five-star freshman center Kate Koval make up 40 percent of the five-player Newcomer Watch List 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals per game as a freshman She set new Notre Dame records in scoring and steals Her signature moment came in going for 34 points 10 rebounds and 6 assists in Notre Dame’s 82-67 victory at No She dropped a career-high 35 points in the Irish’s very next game for good measure Miles is coming back from a knee injury that held her out for the entirety of her junior season The last time we saw the triple-double machine on the floor in competitive action 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game as a sophomore Citron is Notre Dame’s “silent assassin,” as dubbed by head coach Niele Ivey She put in a career-best 17.3 points per game as a junior She’s the Irish’s sharpest all-round shooter when she’s on recording clips of 46.0 percent from the field 35.9 percent from three-point range and 91.2 percent from the free throw line and she also gives Notre Dame plenty of defensive length at the wing position Ivey’s other monikers for her senior stalwart are “efficient and disruptive.” she’s gotten stronger and faster if you can believe that Notre Dame has newfound length in the post Karlen averaged 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a senior in Milwaukee That leaves Ivey with nine healthy players to start the season. She’s never had a collection of nine this talented in her five years as Notre Dame’s head coach, though. Five of them appear on the Blue Ribbon Panel’s watch lists. A sixth, Pittsburgh transfer Liatu King, was an All-ACC First Team member for averaging 18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in her senior season with the Panthers. She was snubbed from this season’s preseason list. Graduate senior guard Sarah Cernugel and sophomore guards Emma Risch and Cassandre Prosper round out Ivey’s available players for the start of the season in an exhibition at home vs. Davenport on Oct. 30 and the regular season opener in South Bend against Mercyhurst on Nov. 4. Notre Dame finished tied for second in the ACC last season with a record of 13-5. The Irish won the ACC Tournament championship for the first time since 2019. The team’s overall record has gotten better every year Ivey has been the head coach — 10-10 (8-7) in year one, 24-9 (13-5) in year two, 27-6 (15-3) in year three and 28-7 (13-5) in year four. The past three seasons have ended in the Sweet 16, though, largely due to injuries. Year five has the makings of the best one yet if the Irish get Westbeld and Watson back and remain healthy otherwise. Preseason Player of the YearHannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame Newcomer Watch ListToby Fournier, Fr., F, Duke 222Imari Berry, Fr., G, Louisville 180Kate Koval, Fr., F, Notre Dame 177Zamareya Jones, Fr., G, NC State 116Liza Karlen, Gr., F, Notre Dame 109 Predicted Order of Finish (79 voters)1. Notre Dame (70), 17262. NC State (8), 16173. Duke, 14464. Louisville, 13705. Florida State, 13356. North Carolina, 12797. Stanford (1), 12148. Miami, 8839. Virginia, 87710. Georgia Tech, 85511. Syracuse, 80112. Virginia Tech, 78613. Clemson, 55314. California, 54615. Boston College, 53316. SMU, 27417. Wake Forest, 25918. Pitt, 233 Niele Ivey didn’t full-on admit there was a non-zero chance Hannah Hidalgo would play her sophomore season and beyond somewhere other than Notre Dame But she left the door open for retroactive speculation “Roster retention is real, so I think that was a big part right after the season,” Ivey said on SiriusXM College last week. “You never know. You never know the conversations.” Conversations, tampering. In this case, same thing. The reality is student-athletes are being sought after by other institutions around the clock in the transfer portal era. And the better you are, the more attention you’ll receive. Hidalgo was one of the best players in NCAA women’s basketball last season, averaging 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals per game for Notre Dame on her way to becoming one of five true freshmen to ever be named a First Team Associated Press All-American. Naturally, she was rumored to be in the transfer market. Ivey wasn’t surprised. “It’s part of it, to be honest,” Ivey said. “It’s definitely something that I feel — especially with a high-caliber player like that — I know it’s part of it. You got to get over those couple weeks and then when you really realize what your roster is going to look like and you know that you have a team that is committed and loyal — and that’s what she is, and I’m really grateful for that — but it goes back to our relationship and I’m grateful for her.” Hidalgo shut down the transfer rumors on April 11. She shared a social media video of her and Ivey smiling holding peace signs in the air with the caption, “I’m not in the transfer portal y’all.” A source close to Hidalgo told Blue & Gold she never even thought about leaving the program. She didn’t put out any cryptic messages between the end of Notre Dame’s season on March 29 and her emphatic shutdown on April 11, which lines up with that remark. In that two-week span, she simply got in the gym and started preparing for year two at Notre Dame. “She’s a very humble star,” Ivey said. “She’s very humble. We have an incredible relationship. I relied on my relationship with her and I feel like what she’s looking for is still aligned with what Notre Dame has. She’s a Notre Dame kid, and I’m just grateful that I get a chance to coach her.” For three more years. She’s not going anywhere. routinely and affectionately called a “dog” by Notre Dame teammates for her basketball acumen is running in the company of some really big dogs now The 18-year-old Irish star was named USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Female Athlete of the Year this week that honor went to the likes of WNBA stars and Olympic veterans Sue Bird and A’ja Wilson Hidalgo was accorded the 2023 award based primarily on her captivating play in leading the U.S to gold at the U19 World Cup this past July in Madrid “Hannah was invaluable to the USA Women’s U19 National Team that went undefeated en route to the gold medal in Spain,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a release announcing Hidalgo as Athlete of the Year “Her competitive drive and determination were seen on the court as she dazzled the crowds in Madrid Hannah has a bright future ahead of her and we cannot wait to see her continued development.” steals (3.1) and was tied for second in scoring (10.7) while averaging 20.1 minutes over seven contests Noie column: Impossible? Improbable? Notre Dame women's basketball team pulls off impressive comeback It’s fun when you can watch someone who is a two-way player She’s a two-way player who can dominate on both sides of the basketball.” Hidalgo’s efforts in Madrid came after the New Jersey native set a McDonald’s All-American game record with 26 points and tied the standard for steals with eight on the way to co-MVP honors in that contest an Irish record for points in a first college game Men's soccer: Three things to know about Notre Dame's College Cup semifinal opponent, Oregon State 5.5 assists and 32.4 minutes to pace the No The 5-foot-6 point guard is even second in rebounds at 5.4 Notre Dame’s idle until hosting Purdue for a noon tip on Dec As part of the SEC-ACC Challenge, No. 3 Texas will travel to South Bend And after a weekend of flag-planting and football fisticuffs what did Booker have to say about her roundball rival so perhaps Booker needs to work on her smack talk But she has spoken to Hidalgo this week about a top-10 showdown that will feature two of college basketball's young stars Booker and Hidalgo have played together with USA Basketball but they haven't been on opposing teams since their AAU days As Team USA secured the 2023 U19 World Cup with a 69-66 win over Spain "I haven't seen her for since U19," Hidalgo said this week We've been talking a lot about us playing each other And what does Booker think of Hidalgo's game "I think that's just a perfect word to describe her Hidalgo quickly go from Team USA to All-AmericansHidalgo and Booker were respectively ranked as the No both players were asked to quickly step up when they got to campus With Olivia Miles still recovering from the knee injury that ended her 2022-23 season Hidalgo made an immediate impact for the Fighting Irish She led Notre Dame in both scoring (22.6 points per game) and assists (5.5) and no Division I II or III player recorded more than her 160 steals Named the Atlantic Coast Conference's defensive player of the year and rookie of the year as well as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press Hidalgo led Notre Dame to a 28-7 record and an appearance in the Sweet 16 With Miles back and pacing Notre Dame in assists this season Hidalgo is averaging 23.9 points and a nation-leading 4.6 steals per game "I think Hannah Hidalgo has garnered so much interest because of how exciting she was to watch a year ago," ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said on a conference call earlier this year Booker scored 20 points in a marquee matchup against UConn came after Rori Harmon suffered a season-ending knee injury and Texas moved Booker from the wing to the point guard position and she currently leads the Longhorns in scoring at 16.0 points per game "We had the chance to call their game (last season against UConn) her game and then how she evolved through the course of the season." When asked to define her rivalry with Hidalgo Booker responded that she's looking at Thursday's game as more of a tussle of tandems It's not Madison Booker against Hannah Hidalgo It's Rori Harmon and Madison Booker against Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo That really isn't a statement of deference Harmon and Miles are both talented veterans who have been stars in their own right while in college "Our sport is in good hands with those three leading the way being on the front page for the next three years," Texas coach Vic Schaefer said "You can't forget the older kids that are still in the game today that are doing their deal and what they're providing for the game right now with Rori Harmon Those kids have been kind of doing it for a while and I don't think it's fair to diminish their importance either In the midst of Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan 13 Americans were killed outside Kabul’s Karzai International Airport a humanitarian catastrophe has swept the country and the Biden administration has failed to take accountability for the likely avoidable airport tragedy and thousands of soldiers killed in action Biden sold out Afghanistan to the Taliban with a stroke of his pen millions of Afghanis are at risk of persecution by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda has a fertile breeding ground once again is the latest guest on The Kevin Roberts Show was stationed in Afghanistan when his unit was stumbled into an improvised explosive device (IED) that resulted in Daren being killed in action The courageous sacrifice of soldiers like Daren is what keeps our nation safe But the shameful actions of the Biden administration undermine the sacrifices made by Daren and the thousands of others who safeguard our freedoms that was when the military officers came to our house “We regret to inform you that Lieutenant Hidalgo’s been killed.” I’ll say the toughest thing when I said “Which Lieutenant Hidalgo?” I had two in combat at the same time That’s one of those things in your life that you just.. Kevin Roberts: Welcome back to the Kevin Roberts Show It is such a pleasure to be sitting here this week with our guest while we’re very grateful that we sometimes get members of Congress Those men and women know that I’m not being disrespectful by saying that This show exists for the everyday American and his or her story and you’re going to really be moved by the story that we cover this week tragic circumstance of one of your sons giving his life for this country but for the witness you are to serving this country the very difficult situation following your son’s death we’re going to honor him and talk a lot about Daren by virtue of honoring him and talking about him going to talk about your own service in the military the fact that your surviving sons have also served That’s really the story that both of those that we’re interested in I happen to be researching a book right now which we’ll talk about some men and women who are in high profile positions but it’s really a book about why the everyday American should care about this country And I know that’s what motivates you to be here in spite of the tragedy of losing your son But before we begin talking about him and honoring his life tell us about your own journey here from the Dominican Republic to New York City to serving in the United States Army my mom and dad divorced shortly after I was born and my mom was still in Dominican Republic My paternal grandmother looked at the situation and said There’s not much opportunity for education She worked diligently on my dad and my mom to get permission because obviously my mom had to get permission for me to come to the US Especially after the 1965 US invasion of the Dominican Republic Hidalgo: “May be a good idea to move to the US.” So I got my Green Card moved to the US in 1965 to live with my dad and his wife garment industry in New York was really big and he would work overtime to clean the factory my grandma was the one that brought me to and from school One of the things that she always imparted in me was in order to pursue the American dream and realize your goals and aspirations There’s a saying she used to say in Spanish “[Spanish],” which means education opens the door to opportunity That sunk into my brain and describing to my brain about how important education was my dad ended up getting into an accident at his job and so we had to move to Harlem in order to live in the projects there We actually went on welfare for a while in order to make ends meet I have the experience of going to the local food pantry for the Department of Agriculture and getting the big cans of peanut butter and the big cans of cheese and things along those lines Roberts: You were no doubt looking forward to after about six months after his steam press accident my dad was trying to think what to do next It’s probably going to be better if I find where I can run my own business.” He talked to his fellow family members and asked if they could contribute toward him opening up a newsstand and Milky Way bars and all those candy bars at the train station That was [inaudible] Street that we used to have the store he decided to go ahead and open up a grocery store If there’s one thing I learned from my dad and my grandma used to say that he works like a mule Someone forgot eggs for making breakfast for the kids Sandwiches for people going to work and things along those lines We would work till about 10 o’clock at night We were probably upstairs getting ready to go to bed about 11:00 that was six days a week we were doing that But it did teach me a strong work ethic though The one break that we did have was on Sundays We actually closed at three o’clock in the afternoon I didn’t really know what vacation was until I actually went to West Point “What’s vacation?” That was a pretty interesting experience Because of my grandma’s focus on education and my dad and my stepmom supported that also I was a pretty decent student and got accepted into one of the charter schools in New York City There’s three major ones that they’re well-known I was accepted in Brooklyn Tech there and did fairly well there My plans at that time was probably aeronautical engineer I was going to go possibly into the military The reason was because my parents are poor They didn’t have the money to go ahead and pay for me to go to college You go to State University of New York [inaudible] got to score high enough to get a scholarship and my parents didn’t have money for room and board That sounds a good way to go through that channel and then afterwards come out with my GI bill and that could pay for my education Senior year I was talking to my track coaches and were asking me I’m going to the Marines.” They all looked at me like it’s not enough for me to room board and things along those lines.” They said “Have you even thought about an academy?” I said I lived in some pretty rough sections of New York City and they weren’t exactly the ideal section I think if everybody thinks about sections of New York City they’re not known for really being nice areas of New York City so I could apply to an academy.” I was looking at Air Force I barely know how to swim living in the inner city Exactly about 45 minutes away from New York City and things like that.” I went ahead and applied to West Point My coaches and the teachers wrote glowing recommendations and.. Because the fact that I had worked in my dad’s store Once they found out that I was thinking about applying to military academy they actually wrote to the congressman and things along those lines say Always greets me with a smile.” If there’s one thing I learned phenomenal customer service from dealing with customers day in All those recommendations and my grades and stuff I was able to get a nomination to the United States Military Academy because I think probably a lot of people know you’ve got to have that nomination by your member of Congress wouldn’t necessarily come into contact with him It was fascinating that the customers from your store people in the community wrote enough letters to bring that to his attention Maybe helped that it was a bad neighborhood It was interesting because my dad’s plans for me was going to the family business I would run the family store and things along those lines just working seven days a week and not having much time to see the world and learn your parents must be really happy.” I said “My dad doesn’t even talk to me.” That’s what I said I think over the years he grew to accept it but that was pretty tough because he wanted me to run the family store or at least used to be in the United States when the second generation of business owners You’re sort of staking out your own way of living out the American dream although it’s probably easier for you to understand now than when you were 19 or 21 it’s hard for the first generation immigrants who’ve made those sacrifices to understand that and you’re the first dark person I’ve ever been close to.” Because people may not know but the West Point Academy have people from every state and people from small communities and so forth Me being from New York City with a huge immigrant population It is considered the dominant leadership institute in the world when you think about developing leadership that [inaudible] solidified my approach to life It’s a lot of things that I really learned at West Point and met some incredible people one of those incredible people was General James McConville I don’t come up here to Washington that often They’re the last people in our class to serve 42 years dedicated service to this country He was basically chief of staff of the Army Roberts: That had to be a special moment for all of you It was truly an honor to be there and congratulate one of our classmates to be at the pinnacle of his career and represent the country and serve the country so honorably for so long Roberts: We’re going to talk about that example but one more question about your own service I actually went to ranger school while I was at West Point Very selective because ranger school is 60-day course you don’t have an opportunity to be a recycle then I attended airborne school and numerous other schools which the Army sends you to prepare to go to your first unit I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunities to have my first assignment as the Berlin Brigade That was actually when the wall was still up Because if there’s a situation that is embarrassing to the nation if it’s an international incident could take place visiting Spandau Prison where we housed Rudolph Hess being able to go to East Berlin on a regular basis hearing the gunfire at night as people trying to cross the barriers to get into the western side I think you don’t really get an appreciation about how bad communism is until you’re so close there and you talk to the people and everything else We got to do whatever we can to prevent that from happening here.” That’s for sure given the span of time since we defeated the Soviet Union to sort of foreshadow something we’ll talk about the difficulty that American military branches are having recruiting men and women I don’t mean to be too pessimistic about the American future but it would seem to me that someone given your service and walking through the streets of East Berlin seeing the bullet holes that are still there in some of the buildings from World War II seeing the difference between the Kurfurstendamm on the western side and seeing the status of the city on the eastern side seeing the stories about people coming across talking to Germans where families were split.. Because we ended up having partnerships and relationships with German families Just understanding all that that was going on what people were trying to do just to get to experience freedom having that first experience makes a difference we live in such creature comforts that we don’t realize what freedom actually is and how easy it is to lose it and what it means Roberts: I imagine seeing that firsthand in Berlin when you started your family That probably is something that you’ve mentioned to your children It might be one of the reasons that you’ve now continued this great family tradition of serving the country into the next generation Tell us about what you instilled in your own children and how that might’ve been affected by your time in Europe my next assignment after Berlin was being a ranger instructor at the Florida Ranger Camp Eglin Air Force Base Florida The kids grew up military bases for the first eight year of their lives and being familiar with the military and so forth Then having so many classmates and friends that would visit us I think it helps the kids overcome their fear of what’s the military all about and we talked about lots of stories about what makes this country so great.. the Bundespost is just not as good as the post office Let me tell you the difference.” The kids would hear my stories Or when we went to Potsdam in East Germany just telling them different stories about how great a country we have Most Americans take for granted because they don’t know the difference Being able to relay that to my kids was really important I think all four of them picked that up that We installed in them same thing that my grandma emphasized you obviously do the rewards in terms of you buy a book Everybody’s honor roll,” and stuff like that giving you opportunity and setting your future but also the spiritual in terms of caring about the community I remember growing up when we were feeding at a homeless shelter I didn’t know there were kids that were homeless.” I mean and you’ve got to be willing to serve your community That helps them to develop a good foundation for the kids Roberts: It makes me think knowing that the greatest correlation between Americans now of military service age and their decision to serve is that there has been military service in their family that if in fact we want to address our recruitment issue.. which isn’t something we’re going to cover It’s just sort of a cultural societal question That maybe one of the ways to offset that is to get American kids to volunteer more Thinking about your own children’s example there other ideas out there for overcoming this recruitment issue exist Hidalgo: Something I always preach was selfless service let’s go on a march to fundraise for library books Let’s go feed the homeless.” Just don’t worry about yourself Roberts: And therefore the country’s not that bad I know there’ve been plans discussed about having everybody commit to some kind of service that service to your fellow man is really important the strength of our culture is all of us caring for each other Roberts: I think that’s extremely well said the politicians we’ve had on this show I think would agree with that a lot said that they were going to join the military When people find out that three kids went to the military so no.” They overcame their fear because they were familiar don’t join the military,” or anything along those lines he went to University of Wisconsin for his degree and joined the platoon leader course program to go in the Marines Hidalgo: Jared went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison I’ll brag about him because he actually maxed his ACT I was surprised that he decided to go to West Point why did you decide to go to West Point?” He says I had invited him to come with me to the 20th anniversary of my class and shook my hand and started talking to me we had a relationship that we were almost like brothers That’s the relationship I want to have.” The place is pretty amazing when it came time for him to make a decision.. He had a wrestling scholarship to another school and turned that down and wanted to go to West Point my daughter decided to go to University of.. she went to University of Green Bay much later All my kids have a firm belief in education opens the door to opportunity He was really incredible knack to make people relax and endeared himself with them I would say he was a National Honor Society and then was also co-captain of the wrestling teams He was very good wrestler and was in phenomenally good shape I would say all the kids probably about the best athlete He got a little bit more trouble than his brother before him Roberts: There have been some West Point cadets over the years who’ve done that I don’t know if you’ve heard of walking hours He got his bachelor of science and basically had got a degree in Spanish and decided to go to Vilseck you ought to go aviation or something along those lines and everything else.” They never listened though Roberts: They didn’t take that advice from [inaudible] But what happens after you graduate from West Point the military sends you to a lot of schools He had to get familiar with Stryker vehicle which is what they were going to be using Vilseck Almost he took an entire year to go through all those military schools he was due to come back and move to Vilseck his unit at the time had already deployed to Afghanistan so they were halfway through their deployment Being a dutiful dad to help son pack out his apartment and pack up all his house and goods that flew down there I thought it would be a good opportunity at that time to have that conversation that anybody in the military needs to have with those people that could be going to combat You’re probably going to deploy at some point what would you like us to do?” Daren’s always a jokester this is bad luck with having that conversation.” I said We need to have this difficult conversation.” When I was in the band and I was on the wrestling team there was other people that wanted to go to college But even if I didn’t get a full scholarship You were going to pay for my college anyway But not that many people are fortunate like that I would be happy with that.” That was really startling for- Daren always cared about others than he cared about himself Do whatever you can to take care of those that do.” That was the conversation that we had with Daren in case he didn’t make it back one of the lieutenants had been injured by an IED we need one of the lieutenants there.” Daren raised his hand “I’ll go.” Talking to the commanders there He could take a unit in combat and lead them no problem and his empathy and ability to engage with people is just phenomenal He was assigned to his unit as a platoon leader He challenged the family to always send care packages We took care of his platoon with cookies and organized different.. We had different organizations and cookie drives and everything else to send gifts and boxes to the men in his platoon His tent was like the distribution hub for the morale-building that needed to take place when they went back to the rear areas for some time off Daren was on a dismounted patrol with his men in Kandahar province Daren was the only one that got wounded on that one let me find out what it is.” I finally was able to talk to him [inaudible] fragments embedded into his thigh My unit returns back to Germany in six weeks I’m not going to leave my men without a platoon leader There’s no way they’re going to replace someone here I’m going to stick with my brothers in arms here I’m taking antibiotics so it doesn’t get infected so get the surgery now.” I try to use every excuse to try to get him to get the surgery Roberts: These are all the tools in the dad [inaudible] This will be interesting because I can set off metal detectors.” Like “What?” He ended up going to the engineering unit and metal detector his thigh and set off the alarm He’s going to be proud about bragging that “I’ll be going to airports setting off the alarms all the time This is exciting.” He was always a prankster They knew it was a dangerous area that had been hit before Choke point is nearing the terrain that you can’t go over or you can’t go under You got to go through it in order to get to the other side It was basically a river bed that had walls on the side that you go from the water coming through Daren was the 16th person in line in the platoon he got out of the line they were walking at and moved to the right about three steps That’s where he set off a pressure plate that was wired into a very large explosive that was embedded not in the floor it was embedded on the wall of the riverbed That’s when he was wounded and didn’t make it That was when the military officers came to our house “We regret to inform you that Lieutenant Hidalgo’s been killed.” I would say the toughest thing when I said “Which Lieutenant Hidalgo?” I had two in combat at the same time.” When they said even though you knew from your own experience in the service to have that conversation with Daren and with your other sons that you would ever actually expect to hear that news We were able to get our son to escort the coffin there was a huge service in his high school because Daren was on the prom court The high school had a huge ceremony for him There was a huge event there at Dallastown Area High School in Pennsylvania They were to honor all the families of all the service members that had been lost during that deployment we’re part of a clique or a group that nobody wants to be part of It passes by so fast that you’re numb from it You almost don’t even realize it’s going on Things are just coming at you because it’s such a tragedy that happens Roberts: And the passage of time doesn’t change the reality His first wish was in terms of setting up Daren M We went ahead and established a scholarship in 2012 A scholarship his high school offers a $5,000 scholarship to a person that’s a community leader and is caring about continue to contribute to the community going forward We’re on our 15th and 16th scholarship this year We keep his memory alive because we ask them and what character traits do you think you have of his and what do you admire?” We look at the essays Are they caring about their community?” And whether it’s a class president or whether it’s someone who works in Rotary or whether it’s someone who works with autistic kids or things along those lines we select candidates that are giving back to society The thank-you letters we get is really heartwarming We donated Daren’s military uniform to his school They have it mounted in the library with a little plaque for him The school really treasures him and the others from that school that have given their life to this country I imagine in addition to the scholarship recipients and the essays that they write which clearly are a testament to Daren’s legacy that you and your family have gotten phone calls and comments from scores of people about how Daren’s legacy lives on all the stories that have come out that you find out I would say one example would be a military officer that writes to me and said When I was in Ranger school...” And Daren had been recycled so he got a chance to eat very well for about two or three weeks these people have been constantly training for a while but he gave me because he knew I was hungry.” I wouldn’t have made it unless Daren took the radio from me but he carried the radio for me.” You hear all these stories of people that reach out and said There was a young lady that reached out to me “I ran the Warner’s Robin Air Force Base Marathon with Daren Your son helped me make it through.” Daren knew her from.. I think he was going to Penn State at the time He was part of the Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference He was on the racketball team at West Point let’s do this marathon.” He ran the marathon with her I’m slowing you down.” Daren went hit and finished “I mean he was such a special person for doing that.” I get so many stories from people that reach out and tell me how Daren made a difference in their lives and Daren convinced me to stay at West Point He actually graduated from West Point eventually But Daren convinced me to stay.” I’m saying “Daren convincing someone else?” As a parent you hear a lot of unbelievable stories about your child I imagine we could fill up many hours talking about that Roberts: I’ll just ask you a couple more questions just grateful for your willingness to talk about the difficulty of Daren’s death you would want to remind everyone the beauty of his life but it’s trying to put that in a hopeful way We’re coming up on the two-year anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan We’ll leave the analysis to that to the political types But what I will say on behalf of everyday Americans whether they are military families like yours or not some of them men and women who served in uniform say that’s actually contributed to the recruitment problem that maybe there’s something wrong with our country What would you say to them to instill some encouragement some hopefulness that in spite of some of these challenging episodes that we still need to have faith in our military we still need to have faith in this country Hidalgo: There’s a lot of great people that are military the media is giving you a slanted perspective there’s a lot of people that are serving this country because they care about this country Look at serving this nation given an opportunity Our country goes through different cycles where.. I just think we’re going through a bad cycle we had just gone through the debacle of Vietnam I remember going to my platoon and it was drug use was rampant and things along those lines and we were able to turn it into incredible military Just be willing to dedicate the effort and invest your hard-earned capacity to deliver some outstanding results I think we need to give a chance because there’s a lot of people that really care about this country Roberts: A follow-up question very much related to that one One of the things I like to do with this show is use it as a vehicle to get people to take some specific steps You’ve given one there contemplating about military service Let’s say someone is on the younger side in the audience “This is good advice that Jorge just gave me.” But what is something that they can do specifically to honor Daren’s legacy as a fellow American I would say if you’re looking at people that are in the military and you run across someone There’s lots of military charities supporting the military There’s lots of charities available that serves veterans causes People at a young age learn to just give back to the nation overall Daren was the embodiment of the American spirit of service to higher calling themself He cared more about others than he cared about himself You don’t have to be in the military to do that There’s lots of charities out there where you give back to your fellow citizens and I think that will build a stronger nation I don’t think anyone on this show has ever said that better I told you it would be a moving conversation I think I can speak for Jorge in saying that the sacrifice of so many other fellow Americans in uniform the best thing we can do is to be hopeful about the American future all of the reasons that some folks in the media want to give us to despair is to keep our chins up but why we are really proud to have our new friend Jorge Hidalgo join me this week the world’s most volatile and conflict-ridden region continues to generate some of the most dangerous threats to U.S One early morning a month ago, Xóchitl Gálvez knocked on the door of Mexico’s National Palace After President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused her of planning to end popular social programs the opposition senator decried his comments as false and secured a judge’s order allowing her to respond in person at one of his daily press conferences I think it hit a lot of people: She could be the one,” said political analyst Carlos Bravo Regidor Now the big question is whether the opposition finally struck gold or if what’s been termed “Xóchitl-mania” is a flash in the pan the opposition has struggled in the face of AMLO’s popularity and populist message to come up with names that could be considered competitive against his perceived favorite former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum The two candidates from AMLO’s governing Morena party have long led polling to replace him when his six-year term ends next year riding her bike and donning a traditional Indigenous huipil blouse with a personal story that differentiates her from the Mexican political elites AMLO often rails against Indigenous origins in a small town in the state of Hidalgo Gálvez—whose first name means “flower” in Nahuatl—overcame having an alcoholic violent father to become a self-made woman She earned a degree in computer engineering and founded two tech firms before entering politics as the head of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples during the administration of Vicente Fox (2000–2006) Despite representing the conservative National Action Party (PAN) in her current role as senator she backs progressive policies on issues such as the environment And she’s managed to steer clear of corruption scandals in a country where many traditional politicians are tainted She also has some of the traits long identified with AMLO himself, including a down-to-earth style with voters. “Xóchitl has the ability to connect directly with people in a very genuine manner. It’s clear in the way she speaks. She’s spontaneous,” said political journalist Fernanda Caso “She’s fighting in the ring with the president when she’s supposed to be fighting with the other opposition hopefuls And this very quickly takes her to the next level,” said Bravo Regidor Morena will announce its own candidate at the same time and that person will have a leg up through an organized communications push Then there’s the fact that one of her strengths—her independence—is also a vulnerability. In her political roles she has represented the PAN, but Gálvez never officially became a member of any party. While that seems a plus, considering all three parties in the Frente Amplio face high levels of disapproval it also means that she has to corral support from three distinct political forces to build proposals and a team “At some point she needs to bring together a vision of the country that is not purely anti-AMLO,” said Bravo Regidor it’s going to be incredibly hard for her to put together a campaign team that works and that represents all the people that are supporting her.” So little time has passed since Gálvez emerged as a contender that there is limited polling available to indicate where she stands, though El Financiero shows her  approval  jumped 10 points from the end of June to the beginning of July calls the increase remarkable and said Gálvez’s profile as “an outsider and a maverick” could appeal to young voters who don’t identify with parties neck-and-neck with long-time legislator Santiago Creel while PRI supporters largely back former party President Beatriz Paredes “How to close ranks once there’s a winning candidate is going to be very important,” says Moreno “The doors of the National Palace can only be opened from the inside That’s why we’re going to open that door to millions of Mexicans.” There’s a long race ahead and Gálvez is at just the beginning of it Zissis is editor-in-chief of AS/COA Online Reading Time: 4 minutesZissis is editor-in-chief of AS/COA Online She is a 2024-2025 International Competition Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute Americas Quarterly (AQ) is the premier publication on politics We are an independent publication of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas PUBLISHED BY AMERICAS SOCIETY/ COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS He extracts a great deal of satisfaction from doing things no other student-athlete at Lebanon High School has ever done before But Carlos Hidalgo derives even more enjoyment from accomplishing things he’s never done before Hidalgo became the first Lebanon swimmer to strike gold at the District 3 Class AAA swimming championships held March 3-4 at Cumberland Valley explore the boundaries of who he is as a swimmer During Friday’s opening day of district competition Hidalgo laid down a 20.74 to edge Brady Robidas of Muhlenberg by a miniscule .01 of a second and capture top honors in the Class AAA 50 freestyle the Cedar senior swam 46.00 to win the 100 freestyle Hidalgo had finished second in both freestyle events at the District 3 meet His personal bests in the 50 and 100 freestyles currently stand at 20.5 and 45.3 “To do something no one else has done before is an accomplishment,” Hidalgo said “But there’s nothing else to compare it to That’s (doing things he’s never done before) what I think about when I drop times I don’t think anyone really knows how fast they can go I think you have to try your hardest to go as fast as you can “Getting to know him as a swimmer and a kid Carlos works for everything he gets,” said Lebanon swim coach Tony Shipkowski He just gets the job done so he can do his swimming thing.” Story of perseverance: She had to give up basketball in high school. It took her down a path she wouldn't trade Hard work can be even harder when you’re alone when you’re not surrounded by supportive and motivating teammates Although Lebanon has never fielded a swim team junior Will Parker – who claimed silver in the 100 breaststroke at districts – at the York YMCA Hidalgo began swimming at the Lebanon YMCA when he was 8 years old “My mom pretty much wanted to get me into sports,” Hidalgo said I liked the feeling of being good at something It’s been part of my life all of my life.” A growing interest: Interest in the sport has continued to grow, but how did disc golf show up in Lebanon? Hidalgo became the first Cedar swimmer in history to garner medals at the PIAA Class AAA championships when he brough home eighth in the 50 freestyle and seventh in the 100 freestyle his expectations and seeds are both higher 4 seed in the 50 freestyle into the state swim championships in Lewisburg on Friday Hidalgo will pursue collegiate swimming and a degree in economics at St I think that would be pretty good,” said Hidalgo of living up to his seedings at states It’s just exciting to go against them and try to get better.” More:Officials are making future plans for Coleman Memorial Park. Here's a look at their ideas. I definitely think a great way for him to end his high school career would be for him to win it all in the 50 free and 100 free,” said Shipkowski The Vikings junior swimmer qualified for the Class 2A state championships and is seeded 28th in the 100 freestyle in class 2A He qualified after a ninth-place finish at the District 3 championships The Cougars junior is seeded 21st in diving in Class 3A She finished in fifth place at the District 3 championships held on Feb The Cedars junior qualified for a pair of events in Class 3A as he is seeded 13th in the 100 breaststroke and 29th in the 50 freestyle He finished ninth in the 50 free and second in the 100 yard breaststroke at the District 3 championships A scientific analysis of a gold ingot found beneath a Mexico City street almost 40 years ago has confirmed that it was part of the Spanish plunder with which conquistadores led by Hernán Cortés attempted to escape the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in 1520 The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement that a fluorescent X-ray chemical analysis had determined that the ingot was cast between 1519 and 1520 The timeframe corresponds to a period in which Cortés ordered gold stolen from the Aztecs to be melted into bars so that they could be transported more easily to Spain coupled with the fact that the gold bar was found along a route used by the conquistadores to flee Tenochtitlán after a battle on June 30 1520 that cost the lives of many Spaniards led archaeologists to conclude that it was part of the Spanish booty The announcement from INAH comes six months before the 500th anniversary of La Noche Triste (The Night of Sorrows) as the Aztec revolt that drove the Spaniards out of the city came to be known The day before the battle in which many of the Spaniards’ indigenous allies also lost their lives The ingot – which weights 1.93 kilograms and is 1.4 cm thick 26.2 cm long and 5.4 cm wide – was found 4.8 meters underground on March 13 1981 during a government construction project on Hidalgo Avenue located adjacent to the Alameda Central park in downtown Mexico City The bar is believed to have fallen or been thrown into a canal as the Spanish fled on horseback along a causeway leading out of Tenochtitlán which was built on an island in Lake Texcoco INAH archaeologist Leonardo López Luján said the ingot is a “key piece” in the “puzzle” of the events of June 30 He noted that its length is exactly the same as ingots described by conquistador and chronicler Bernal Díaz del Castillo an encyclopedic work about the people and culture of pre-Hispanic central Mexico says that the Mexicas searched the canals after the battle of La Noche Triste to look for plundered objects One illustration shows a man with a gold bar in his left hand which is on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City is a “material witness” of the Spanish conquest and a “unique archaeological” relic of the Night of Sorrows ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Reno Gazette Journal reporter Jason Hidalgo has won two national journalism awards for his real estate reporting Hidalgo won a gold award and silver award at the 73rd annual National Association of Real Estate Editors journalism competition on Thursday The NAREE journalism awards were judged by a panel from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism Hidalgo was awarded the gold prize for Best Breaking Real Estate News Story for his story about battery company Redwood Materials receiving $105.6 M in tax breaks from the state of Nevada The judges called the story a great example of public service journalism that shows the importance of covering public meetings “Following a tip, Hidalgo checked real estate transaction records to discover that national homebuilder Toll Brothers had accidentally sold an entire neighborhood to a woman who was buying just one home in the development,” the judges said. “Shoe-leather reporting revealed what happened: The title company had copy-and-pasted the wrong information into the deed.” The NAREE journalism awards received hundreds of entries for this year’s contest. News outlets that took part in this year’s competition include the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg News.  The NAREE journalism awards ceremony was held on June 8 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I met Anne Hidalgo in the Hôtel de Ville in early March. Her office is famously larger than the president’s in the Élysée Palace and is arrived at by ascending a marble staircase in a building so voluminous and gilded and mirrored, with statues in alcoves and ceilings painted with goddesses and the tenet of the republic—Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité—that there is nothing to do but stand dumbstruck with Cinderella awe at the history and grandeur of France’s Belle Époque. The mayor of Paris is responsible for a little over two million inhabitants, a budget of 10 billion euros, and a municipal workforce of more than 50,000. Her life veers between global issues and social ills; ceremonial duties and petty scandals; and sudden crises and the quotidian of bureaucratic officialdom. Hidalgo, a keen volleyball player in her youth, has overseen much of the preparations, but the inevitable controversies over last-​minute details were accompanied by headlines and Parisians muttering that the Games would be a mess and it would be better to leave town for the duration. In addition, Hidalgo was under personal investigation. The day before our meeting, the Hôtel de Ville was raided by the national financial prosecutor’s office, following allegations that Hidalgo misused public funds when she went to Tahiti in October to see the Olympic surfing venue there and afterward made a private visit to her daughter, who lives on a nearby island. I suggested it had been a difficult week. Hidalgo said, “It was nothing…. Every year or two years, people try to invent something. The justice wanted to have clarification; we gave them all the documents.” Hidalgo has a reputation for moral certitude; while her critics angled after hypocrisy, commentators I spoke to didn’t think the allegations were very serious. “Yes, it’s difficult to be mayor,” Hidalgo said. “The mayor of Paris is a big position, and I am the first woman [to occupy it]. But I have a vision. It’s not enough to just be here and say, ‘Oh my God, it’s so difficult because I’m a woman!’ And I’m always fighting against opponents.” “Okay,” Hidalgo told me, inured to the slings and arrows. “It’s a life.” She began her career as a labor inspector, learning how to hold her own in the all-male environments of factories and mines, and with condescending local politicians. It was her head-down determination that would carry her upward as she moved to Paris in the early 1980s and became involved in vocational policymaking, and later in the Socialist Party through the 1990s. “I think my sister has always been very driven,” Mary told me. “I think nothing would ever stop her; [not] male sexism, even back then.” Hidalgo met her second and current husband, Jean-Marc Germain—seven years her junior, a studious technocrat, and also from Lyon—in the late ’90s, when they were both working at the Ministry of Labour. “She was in charge of vocational training, and I was in charge of employment,” Germain told me over lunch in a bistro close to their home in the comfortably bourgeois 15th arrondissement. He was seduced, he said, by her positivity and her strength. He recalled that only a few days after she started, Hidalgo had to replace the minister at an important event. “It was on the 29th August.” “Yes,” he smiled, “I remember the date and I remember her speech.” When I asked Hidalgo to describe French politics with three adjectives, she laughingly threw up her hands: “Confused! Grand confusion!” Then she added in French, “Grande agressivité.” That aggressive atmosphere, subject as it is to a kind of pettiness, she said, “risked democracy” and suggested “little interest in public issues.” “She’s a woman who is always moving forward,” her husband told me. “It’s like when you’re cycling; if you don’t pedal, you fall off.” It’s an apt metaphor; in many ways Hidalgo’s tenure as mayor has been defined by bike lanes. Squeezed into narrower lanes, traffic congestion in Paris has gotten worse. The car industry, drivers, and people who live beyond the constant traffic jams of the Périphérique, or ring road, are apoplectic. Hidalgo has been condemned as a Stalinist, a Khmer Vert (“green”), and a bohemian ​bourgeois who is Disney-fying Paris. “The stadium is the city,” Hidalgo said. Grandstands going up in the Place de la Concorde where events like skateboarding and BMX freestyle will be held. “I think that my convictions, my policies, my actions, communicate best what I do as mayor,” Hidalgo told me. “I understand people in the newspapers talk, talk, talk, and...say the mayor of Paris is like a devil. But these are not the Parisians who are living in Paris and who voted for me.” In 2020 she won a second term in a tight race against Dati, also a woman from an immigrant family. But in 2022, when Hidalgo ran for president (having said in her mayoral campaign that she wouldn’t), she received a humiliating 1.75 percent of the vote. Hidalgo is not the only female politician to complain of a double standard in the public discourse. She’s not wrong, but as one of her (female) critics said to me, “It’s true that she suffers attacks that are sexist, but at the same time, she capitalizes a lot on the fact she is a woman. She can’t be an international rock star and at the same time a victim of sexism.” I asked Hidalgo how she coped with the attacks against her. “You need to be objective,” she said. “You need to be rational.… And I’m very strong, and I want to be on the right side of this story.” “The mayor of Paris is a big position, and I am the first woman [to occupy it]. But I have a vision.” Her detractors say she is inflexible, that she never gives an inch and freezes out people who disagree with her. Hidalgo admitted she tends to act quickly, “because I am combative. We all have our faults. You have to listen, but I differentiate between people who criticize what I do because I could do better (and I must do better), and those who criticize what I do because they want to destroy me.” “Big cities are progressive places, very mixed, very diverse, with women, LGBT people, with all the social classes,” said Hidalgo. “Paris is a very old city, with museums, beautiful buildings, et cetera.… We have demonstrated that you can be an old city, engaged with human rights, and be very creative in the digital economy, as well as in art, in fashion.” “She never stops,” Germain told me. Except, he said, in the evenings when she calls her children, now all grown, and her mother, age 93, who has retired to southern Spain. “I am mayor, but I am a woman, I am a mother, a grandmother,” Hidalgo told me. “I love life. I love to walk in the mountains. I love to swim. It’s not very easy to live a life that is not so normal. I try to be normal. I do the shopping myself.” Germain laughed when I asked him if his wife likes to cook. “The children always tease her,” he said, “because when she was working and had two [young] children, she was very tired and had little time to make food, and on Sunday she tended to make the same dish, her famous filet de flétan au four, roasted halibut.” Hidalgo, naturally reticent, keeps her family life private. “For example, we never go out to dinner, or maybe once a year,” Germain told me. He has forged his own political career (he’s running to be elected to the European Parliament) and doesn’t accompany his wife to public functions, but is very much the man behind the woman. “She’s got a happy marriage,” Mary told me. “She’s got a lot of support there.” When I asked her husband and her sister what made Hidalgo happiest, they both gave the same answer as Hidalgo herself: her work. “She’s always happy with what she’s doing,” said Germain. “When she comes home, she takes an hour to talk about the extraordinary people she met that day, whether it’s a baker or Barack Obama.” Hidalgo has remained publicly coy about her plans to run for a third term as mayor. She told me her ambition was to continue to work on climate change and social issues. She pointed to a large artwork in her office, depicting two figures holding a flower rising from a barbed-​wire stalk and an open book with the words: “The Future Is Unwritten.” “Free of what?” I asked, but she only laughed instead of answering. Produced by AL Studio; Set Design: Mary Howard; Poster: Shepard Fairey (OBEY), Knowledge + Action + Power. Hannah Hidalgo rewrites the Notre Dame record book all the time but every now and again she accomplishes feats that have seldom been met in all of college basketball Hidalgo was named an Associated Press First Team All-American for the second time in as many seasons to start her career. She’s one of four players to ever earn that status as both a freshman and a sophomore along with USC’s JuJu Watkins this year and Connecticut’s Maya Moore and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris from prior seasons Hidalgo was also named a First Team All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles earned Second Team status from both outlets, and the AP named fellow Fighting Irish senior guard Sonia Citron an Honorable Mention All-American Here are the AP’s All-America teams in their entirety. • JuJu Watkins, USC, Sophomore; Los Angeles, California: 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists• Paige Bueckers, UConn, Senior, Hopkins, Minnesota: 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists • Lauren Betts, UCLA, Junior; Centennial, Colorado; 19.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 63.4 Field Goal% • Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame, Sophomore; Merchantville, New Jersey: 24.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists• Madison Booker, Texas, Sophomore; Ridgeland, Mississippi: 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists • Aneesah Morrow, LSU, Senior; Chicago, Illinois: 18.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 49.5 field goal%• Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State, Junior; Miami, Florida: 24.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists • Olivia Miles, Notre Dame, Senior; Phillipsburg, New Jersey: 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists • Sarah Strong, UConn, Freshman; 16.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 57.5 field goal% • Georgia Amoore, Kentucky, Senior; Ballarat, Victoria: 19.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists • Hailey Van Lith, TCU, Senior; Wenatchee, Washington: 17.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists • Kiki Iriafen, USC, Senior; Los Angeles, California: 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 49.9 field goal% • Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt, Freshman; Somerset, New Jersey: 23.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists • Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU, Junior; Savannah, Georgia: 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 46.5 field goal% • Audi Crooks, Iowa State, Sophomore; Algona, Iowa: 23.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 60.2 field goal% Mexico featured in all three gold medal matches – finding success in one Antonio Hidalgo, Miguel Becerra and Uriel Olvera defeated Colombia’s Daniel Munoz, Juan Fernando Bonilla and Gomez Zuluaga Pablo 230-227, to complete Mexico’s journey from the third seed to the top of the podium the Mexican trio needing a 59 to close out the win we worked hard from the start to dominate the match all way through,” said Becerra “We’re very happy with the result,” Hidalgo said Former Mexican archer Linda Ochoa-Anderson representing the USA for the first time at an international event proved key for her new team against her former in the compound women’s team final Ochoa-Anderson, Paige Pearce and Alexis Ruiz comfortably beat Andrea Becerra, Esmeralda Sanchez and Margarita Valencia “It was great,” Linda said of winning her first medal for the USA against her former team especially after not shooting for this long and then shooting against Mexico Seeded first after qualification and the top-ranked team in the world, the USA was in control from start to finish as it shot with poise and certainty at the Sport Complex Los Arcos in Guatemala City “We just worked so well together yesterday,” said Pearce of the elimination rounds. “It was really smooth and I was pretty confident we were going to go out there and do the same.” World number one Ruiz will look to win a second gold medal later today in the individual final fours. She faces Colombia’s Nora Valdez in the semifinals Denmark showed no signs of pandemic-induced rust in the compound mixed team gold medal match Stephan Hansen and Tanja Gellenthien flirted with perfection for much of regulation, shooting only 10s through the first three ends. A pair of nines to close was more disappointing for the viewers hoping for a perfect – than it was a glimmer of hope for Mexico’s Andrea Becerra and Antonio Hidalgo. Denmark won gold, 158-156. “I think we wanted to make it interesting, have a bit of excitement at the end,” Gellenthien said. “I’m really happy with how many 10s we shot, how well we did. We finished well, and that’s all that matters.” The Netherlands beat the hosts Guatemala in the mixed team bronze medal match. Bronze medals in the compound team competitions were awarded on Friday on the eliminations field. The USA took third in the men’s event and Colombia bronze in the women’s. The compound competition concludes with individual finals on Saturday at the first stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Guatemala City. Notre Dame played without sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo for the first time in her first two seasons Sunday. Her absence, due to a rolled ankle suffered late in the game against Wake Forest this past Thursday, was felt. The Fighting Irish ground out a road victory at Clemson, 67-58, and it was every bit as difficult for head coach Niele Ivey’s team offensively as the final score makes it sound. Without Hidalgo, the National Player of the Year frontrunner in many’s eyes, the Irish offense was clunky, scoring more than 20 points fewer than the season average of 89.1. “Hannah gets us going, offensively and defensively,” Ivey said. “She has that drive where she can shoot behind the ball screens, she can catch and shoot, she can drive and kick. She finds open players. She’s an explosive scorer. We were missing that today.” The No. 1 team in the nation in three-point shooting going into the game, Notre Dame only made 3 of 14 shots from deep against the Tigers. Hidalgo is good for 2.5 three-point makes on her own this season, and her unguardability opens up so much for her teammates. The floor was condensed on that side of the court without her. That doesn’t mean Notre Dame didn’t have anybody to run the operation. Senior guard Olivia Miles played exceptionally at the point, as usual. She finished with 17 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds. She only shot 5 of 12 from the floor, though, and she’d be the first to admit how much easier things are to put the ball through the basket when Hidalgo is playing. Pitt transfer Liatu King, meanwhile, did not seem to suffer at all from missing Hidalgo. She recorded her team-leading eighth double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds. “We don’t ever want to predict something happening to one of our team, but you just got to be ready for whatever the circumstances are,” King said. “You just got to be ready. And that’s what I came in and tried to do today.” In her third game since making her season debut coming back from foot surgery, fifth-year graduate senior forward Maddy Westbeld made a corner three with 1:44 remaining to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 62-50. Clemson made some runs, including cutting the deficit to three points on two occasions early in the fourth quarter, but shots like Westbeld’s and critical possession-earning rebounds from King allowed the Irish to hang onto their advantage and even widen it. Notre Dame led for over 35 minutes of game time. Now 14-2 overall and 5-0 in ACC play, Notre Dame hosts No. 13 Georgia Tech (15-1, 3-1) at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. What the Fighting Irish may not have expected, however, was a ruthless crowd and some clever trolling of star guard Hannah Hidalgo who was a first-team All-American and NCAA steals leader during her freshman season made controversial statements over the summer that drew plenty of criticism She cited her religious beliefs saying homosexuality was a sin and NC State fans were not ready to let Hidalgo live those comments down MORE: Hannah Hidalgo's awkward camera moment makes Notre Dame star go viral One sign spotted on the television broadcast referenced the Fighting Irish and the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" to troll Hidalgo for her comments The sign immediately went viral on social media That's the type of punny sign made for ESPN College GameDay MORE: Angel Reese, Notre Dame star Olivia Miles link at historic Unrivaled game Not only did the fans bring their A-game to Reynolds Coliseum NC State held a four-point lead over the No Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo watches a shot in the air during a the Fighting Irish and Stanford / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesWhether they hang on to secure a big win remains to be seen but the momentum and crowd are in their corner will be looking to rally the troops and lead a strong second-half charge the 5-foot-6 sophomore averages 24.6 points — Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI — Get out!: Eagles CB Cooper DeJean ruins gf’s Steph Wilfawn’s perfect glam prep NBA All-Star winner: Cameron Brink slays blue miniskirt, matching crop top courtside Still starring: Livvy Dunne flexes sparkly LSU leotard stunners despite benching In the spotlight: Bronny James’ Parker Whitfield shares rare selfie on date night Legacy always: Vanessa Bryant unveils shimmering triple-black Kobe kicks that rock JOSH SANCHEZManaging Editor: Cowboys on SI - Contributor: The Athlete Lifestyle on SI, and Sporting News MMA - Contact: joshsanchez@gmail.com The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Hitting 20-plus turnovers is a major problem for most college basketball teams Notre Dame is not most college basketball teams The Fighting Irish reached that number of giveaways for the fifth time this season Sunday at Louisville to improve to 19-2 overall and a perfect 10-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents this season Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey told ESPN’s Holly Rowe at halftime when the Irish were leading by a single point that her team lost its composure in the first half The Irish led by as many of 14 in the first two quarters but blew that advantage and faced multiple deficits before the half Second half? Just one, 40-39, in the first minute of the third quarter. All Irish from then on. Ivey made sure of it, according to sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo “She comes in yelling,” Hidalgo said of a typical Ivey halftime speech in a game like this When we see our coach bringing that intensity Especially because Louisville is such an aggressive team We needed to raise our intensity not only because they were being aggressive but because coach Ivey she’s got this pretty face but don’t let that fool you.” “It’s called encourage and motivate,” Ivey interjected Whatever it’s called, it works. To give Notre Dame the lead back for good early in the second half, graduate senior forward Liatu King made good on layup via an entry pass Those were the first two points in a half in which Notre Dame outscored Louisville 50-33 the player with whom the conversation of this game — heck the conversation of this season — starts and finishes Hidalgo got over 30 points for the second consecutive game and ninth time in her young career. The National Player of the Year candidate logged 34 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. During one stretch, she scored or assisted on 27 of 29 Notre Dame points. The only two she wasn’t a factor in were a pair of free throws from senior guard Olivia Miles. “She led us,” Ivey said of Hidalgo. “Put the team on her back. She’s just a dog. She came out with such fire and tenacity.” scoring 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with 4 rebounds contributing 16 points and 12 rebounds for yet another double-double the best way to do so is by simply uttering one woman’s name Not the one who gave the impassioned halftime speech but the one who appropriately responded to it Louisville couldn’t keep the 5-6 from right underneath the basket She made a pair of threes and some midrange jumpers including a shot-clock beating prayer that was answered just before halftime but the true demoralizing nature of her game is when she slices through the defense somehow ends up right at the rim and somehow puts the ball up and through seemingly every time Louisville made its runs to get the home crowd involved at a venue that has not been too kind to Notre Dame over the years; the Irish had won one time at the KFC Yum Center since 2018 and carried a 1-6 record in games there during that span into Sunday’s tipoff Nothing like exorcising those demons with a 17-point victory Hidalgo’s 34 would not have gone as far without the 33 combined from Miles and King so Hidalgo spent time postgame propping up her teammates — as any shining star should “It’s really dangerous because we have so much firepower,” Hidalgo said it helps take some of the attention off me.” BOX SCORE Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardSouth Jersey’s Hannah Hidalgo helps Team USA women defeat Spain in FIBA U19 World CupHidalgo averaged 10.7 points and 3.1 steals and was named to the tournament's All-Star Five The United States U-19 women’s basketball team beat Spain to win the gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup on Sunday in Madrid Paul VI grad Hannah Hidalgo came off the bench to score nine points and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five after averaging 10.7 points With the game tied, 66-66, Ohio State’s Cotie McMahon hit the go-ahead bucket to give the U.S. a 68-66 lead with 22 seconds left. Hidalgo, who’s heading to Norte Dame next season recorded a steal 11 seconds later to help seal the win Notre Dame sophomore Hannah Hidalgo was named one of six Preseason Associated Press All-Americans on Tuesday The other four are all on the Fighting Irish’s schedule in 2024-25 Notre Dame plays USC in Los Angeles on Nov. 23. The Irish host Texas on Dec. 5 and UConn on Dec. 12. Watkins, like Hidalgo, is one of the five freshmen who has ever been named a First Team AP All-American. She’s the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, just like Hidalgo is the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Booker, meanwhile, is the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. The Big East had not released its preseason accolades as of Oct. 22, but Bueckers was named the 2023-24 Preseason Player of the Year in that conference. She went on to win the award as predicted after missing the entire 2022-23 season because of an ACL injury. Hidalgo and Bueckers went head-to-head last season in Storrs 10 rebounds and 6 assists in an 82-67 Fighting Irish victory Bueckers had 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting with 4 steals 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 85 appearances and 80 starts She’s a career 53.0-percent shooter from the field Hidalgo had a dazzling first season at Notre Dame with 22.6 points 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals per game as a starter in all 35 of the Irish’s tipoffs Booker turned into a do-it-all point forward for Texas as a starter in all 37 of the Longhorns’ games after point guard Rori Harmon went down with an injury. Booker put up 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 45.7 percent shooting. Watkins, though, seems to be the biggest threat to Hidalgo as the game’s biggest star moving forward. She averaged 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game for the Trojans as a freshman. She adds Iriafen, a Stanford transfer, to her team. Iriafen posted 19.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in her final season with the Cardinal. the new governor of Peru’s Madre de Dios region entered his conference room in the regional government building here carrying a half-empty bottle of Inca Cola and wearing a golden chain around his neck as Hidalgo signaled immediately that change has come to the international epicenter of illegal gold mining it was my idea to open Madre de Dios to NGOs and the outside world for their support,” Hidalgo told Mongabay in an exclusive interview in late July “I didn’t know the military intervention was already planned But I understood that it was the only alternative the national government had to really bring change to this area when Peruvian law enforcement swept into one of the world’s most notorious gold-mining operations to shut it down make arrests and dig in to stay for a while What a difference a year has made in Madre de Dios was a gold miner and leader of the region’s mining federation He largely ignored international aid to help preserve one of the most spectacularly biodiverse tropical regions on Earth And he seemed to care little that national efforts to curtail mining were always short-lived and ineffective Madre de Dios has become a global poster child for deforestation and environmental devastation from an unchecked gold rush More than 1,000 square kilometers (400 square miles) of lowland rainforest has been deforested since 1985 two-thirds of which — an area roughly the size of New York City — has been cleared since 2009 Much of that destruction and gold production has been centered in La Pampa a large and lawless stretch on both sides of the Interoceanic Highway that morphed into a makeshift city of more than 25,000 people What emerged was a kind of hell on Earth: lush rainforest reduced to a desert landscape of toxic ponds has thrown his full support behind Operation Mercury the national government’s largest and most sustained effort to crack down on illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios hundreds of army commandos and 1,200 police officers raided La Pampa and established three military bases to ensure illegal gold mining elsewhere in Madre de Dios continues as usual Hidalgo told Mongabay that the raids and state of emergency have come at a cost was plunged into a recession that was felt especially in Puerto Maldonado where more than half the region’s 150,000 people live which the governor said has dropped 40 percent this year largely due to attacks on two high-end eco-lodge operations was necessary if he is to achieve his goal to alter his region’s bleak reputation into something closer to that of nearby Acre Hidalgo lived there for 25 years before returning home to Puerto Maldonado with his wife a year ago to run for governor Acre has gained attention for leveraging millions in international funds “I have seen Acre rebuild its economy to make it less about extraction and more about sustainable development,” Hidalgo said Yet he also wants and expects gold mining to remain a significant part of the regional economy — only formalized and legalized in ways it has never been in Madre de Dios Illegal mining makes up 60 percent of the region’s economy now; he wants gold mining to be 40 percent of the legal economy by the end of his term in 2023 Tens of millions of dollars in taxes now going unpaid “We are in the process of formalizing miners,” Hidalgo said We now have 37 and will have 150 by the end of August My goal is 1,200 formalized miners by the end of the year The gold that left this region” — an estimated $3 billion worth over the decades — “has never helped us at all While he could not describe how formalization would be enforced — always a challenge when it comes to Peruvian environmental laws — Hidalgo said “mining will be legal in certain areas but we cannot accept that miners will extend inside our protected areas,” such as Tambopata National Reserve and its buffer zone among other biodiverse conservation reserves He said he also wants existing mining sites to be mined deeper for missed gold to reduce further tree loss Because protected areas in Peru are administered by the Peruvian Park Service in Lima Hidalgo does not have the authority to prohibit mining beyond areas already designated as off-limits to mining the national government transferred 588,000 soles ($173,000) to help underwrite the formalization process Formalized miners must agree to not only pay taxes but pay to restore deforested or degraded rainforests and eliminate the use of mercury in mining by the end of 2020 fish and air — more than 180 tons of the heavy metal is dumped annually— has been extremely problematic for public health in the region Lima has pledged 500 million soles ($147 million) to assist with environmental restoration economic development and job training in the region At more than 85,000 square kilometers (33,000 square miles) Madres de Dios is slightly larger than the U.S are critical to global carbon dioxide sequestration and weather production at a time of record worldwide temperature and climate instability At an international meeting in Colombia in March Hidalgo’s pledge to clean up Madre de Dios led to donations of $350,000 ($200,000 from Norway) to develop climate mitigation plans that could attract millions more he pleaded for Chinese tourists to visit the Amazon “I fully support what he is trying to do,” said Enrique Ortiz a leading Peruvian environmentalist and program director of the Washington “The combination of climate change and biodiversity make Madre de Dios unique Operation Mercury also appears to be having the desired impact on La Pampa 5 by the Monitoring of the Andes Project (MAAP) deforestation in La Pampa has decreased 92 percent this year compared to 2018 “The data sets show that you don’t have the big massive mining front that was devouring forests like an alligator in La Pampa,” said Matt Finer “There are isolated examples of mining continuing so that’s a warning sign that if the government operations stop things would likely return to the way they were.” Hidalgo agreed with that assessment during his Mongabay interview He said that while he believes the majority of La Pampa miners have left the region have drifted into narco-trafficking or illegal logging while others have moved their mining operations outside La Pampa a leader with the indigenous Huachipaire tribe calls the 4,000–square-kilometer (1,540-square-mile) Amarakaeri Communal Reserve west of La Pampa home He told Mongabay that new gold mining and deforestation “have now shown up on our doorstep The government has simply kicked an ants’ nest making trouble elsewhere — especially for us.” said they have little trust in the regional or national governments protecting them their land rights or their forests as officials try to crack down on illegal mining “The state doesn’t see all of its citizens as equal,” Tayori told Mongabay a senior director of forest and climate for the World Wildlife Fund has been tracking developments in Madre de Dios for years She says she understands the indigenous leaders’ skepticism She remembers the pro-mining stance of Hidalgo’s predecessor and recognizes that politics in Peru are fluid and that priorities regarding the Amazon can change from year to year she says she sees reasons for hope in Madre de Dios “We are at an important juncture,” Brana Varela said “Hidalgo is reaching out to the international community and to civil society in ways that haven’t been done before priorities are aligned between ministers of agriculture and the environment for Madre de Dios We need to accelerate efforts to provide support because it’s the perfect time to make an impact What we don’t know is if we will have enough time for lasting impact before governments and politicians inevitably change.” Justin Catanoso is a professor of journalism at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and a regular contributor to Mongabay. Follow him on Twitter @jcatanoso Marianne van Vlaardingen of Cuzco assisted with translations in Puerto Maldonado 2019): A previous version of this story mistakenly referred to the Interoceanic Highway as the “Oceanic Highway.” We apologize for the oversight Banner image: This drone photo taken in June shows the military installation inside La Pampa that was established after the government raid of the area in February has ensured that most miners have not returned to an area that was once lush Editor’s Note: This story was powered by Places to Watch a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time satellite data automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data Feedback: Use this form to send a message to the editor of this post On3’s Talia Goodman released her list of five frontrunners for women’s college basketball’s National Player of the Year award on Thursday, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo is No In Goodman’s rankings, Hidalgo leads a tight race with UCLA center Lauren Betts The sophomore sensation entered Thursday night averaging 26.1 points and she shot 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc “She’s had massive performances against No intensity and high-level outings against top teams make her the current frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors.” Meet the newest starting (probably) Irish defensive tackle, Jared Dawson: New DL transfer putting in work 👀🏋️☘️🔥 #NotreDame #ndfootball #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/yBKUznAgVP Relive the incredible wins in the Sugar and Orange Bowls as well as the heartbreak in the national championship: The final episode of Season 1 of “Here Come the Irish” came out on @peacock this morning. It chronicles Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run to the national championship game. pic.twitter.com/3POHstpvnb What a player Xavier Watts was for the Irish Top 101 College Football Players from the 2024 Season:#16: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame☘️ ZERO TDs Allowed (505 Coverage Snaps) pic.twitter.com/8W1qosECEy “It was amazing introduction to college football You’re going into the most pressurized situation in college football And it was new to everybody — the College Football Playoff going to 12 teams You’re in there to help your new team get better You’re actively participating on scout team — Ja’Warren Blair, father of Notre Dame freshman safety Ja’Don Blair, about the latter’s experience with the Irish as an early enrollee during the College Football Playoff SOUTH BEND — The greatest unknown in the women’s college basketball world these days may well be how soon — if at all this coming season — second-team All-American point guard Olivia Miles will return to action for Notre Dame On its way to becoming among the greatest knowns is that the Irish are oozing confidence in prized recruit Hannah Hidalgo — and she in herself — no matter whether ND must proceed with the 5-foot-6 freshman in charge at the point right away or if she lines up alongside Miles Miles expressed a “best-case scenario” of playing in Notre Dame’s season opener against South Carolina on Nov but the junior also did not balk at questions that addressed a possibly much longer ongoing recovery following her right knee surgery six months ago Football: Jordan Faison makes the most of his debut for Notre Dame football ND coach Niele Ivey even acknowledged that redshirting Miles remains one “option.” last season’s Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year runner-up “I have years in this game that I want to be able to produce and do it healthily Miles would not confirm, nor refute, that the injury she sustained in last winter’s Feb. 26 regular-season finale at Louisville was a torn anterior cruciate ligament. “I’m not quite comfortable giving the specifics yet,” Miles said politely who suffered a torn ACL to her right knee early in her freshman season and a similar injury to her left knee late in her junior season is bracing for a range of possibilities concerning Miles “It’s more about the individual healing process,” Ivey said adding that she’s been in “constant communication” with Miles and team trainers regarding the guard’s progress “Everybody comes back differently at different times Ivey has been among a slew of supportive individuals with whom she’s conferred Former Irish standouts Natalie Achonwa and Devereaux Peters who have each come back from knee injuries “She has put no pressure on me,” Miles said of Ivey “She’s gone through two knee injuries herself (and) we obviously have great players on this team that can handle the business.” While the injury was “frustrating at first,” particularly for an individual who never experienced a significant one before and it has remained challenging from mental “It will bring such a new perspective and a new level of gratitude,” Miles said “It’s really motivating me to never take a play off to just give my all because you never know when you’re gonna have to sit out It’s helping me just to see how precious the game is That’s actually a mindset that Miles would commonly express even before her injury and one that she seems to share with the eager Hidalgo “I’m counting down the days until we play our first game,” Hidalgo said Tuesday 1-ranked point guard in her high school class by ESPN “It was point guard by committee,” Ivey said of how ND proceeded after Miles’ injury last season I have a true point guard in Hannah Hidalgo who’s done a tremendous job being in the fire as a freshman.” Hidalgo knows she’s the clear top choice to run the Irish offense if Miles remains out “Being a freshman and having to take on such a big role and playing with some high Division I girls but I don’t feel any stress,” Hidalgo said “I feel like the coaches take all the pressure off me capture the gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup in July — she led the club in assists (5.4) and steals (3.1) in addition to averaging 10.7 points in 20.1 minutes and she made the game-securing steal in the 69-66 championship win against host Spain — and then she joined ND a week later for its playing tour of Greece and Croatia She laughed Tuesday when asked if she still has a full tank after a travel-heavy summer she’s a dog,” sophomore swing Cass Prosper said with glee in her voice “I think that’s why I’m so excited to play with her I really love her and am excited to play with her.” Prosper was helping Canada take the bronze among 16 countries Junior All-ACC first-team guard Sonia Citron says Hidalgo has picked up the Irish offense well “Hannah kind of does everything,” Citron said “but the one thing that stands out is definitely her defensive tenacity and how she goes after the ball Hidalgo says she’s benefited in her transition to college ball from the counsel of Miles “Olivia’s been great on the sideline,” Hidalgo said “She’s been doing a great job encouraging and kind of bringing the team together.” Miles is embracing that sideline role for now so I feel like I know the system,” Miles said so just helping out with my experience and my calmness that I feel like I bring to the team I feel like I do a good job of just calming everyone down.” “My coaches are always telling me I’m doing a great job running the plays,” Hidalgo said “I think I’ve picked up the plays pretty well and when to call what play at what specific time and who to feed and how to give certain people the ball but it’s been a complete (180) from when we first started to where we are now.” There’s a case to be made that NCAA women’s basketball has never been better than it is right now. Only five freshmen have ever been named First Team All-Americans by the Associated Press since the inception of the accolade in 1994-95. Two of them, including Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo were added to that prestigious grouping Wednesday afternoon Hidalgo is on this year’s AP First Team with fellow freshman Juju Watkins of USC Stanford’s Cameron Brink and UConn’s Paige Bueckers The three other players who made the First Team as freshmen were Bueckers in 2021 Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris in 2006 and UConn’s Maya Moore in 2008 Fubo’s spring offer just kicked off – For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on their first month of Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans Hidalgo’s name has been thrown around among those of all-time greats throughout this season for good reason She’s the nation’s third-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game behind Clark (31.9) and Watkins (27.0) She’s doing things defensively that Clark and Watkins can’t hold a candle to as well; Hidalgo leads the country with 147 steals entering the NCAA Tournament She’s one of four Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalists “She deserves to be listed amongst the best in women’s basketball,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said per the AP’s release. “Hannah is a fierce competitor and an elite performer who rises to the occasion and has been extremely consistent and dominant this season.” Hidalgo is Notre Dame’s first First Team All-American since Jewell Loyd in 2015. Kayla McBride, Skylar Diggins and Ruth Riley are the only other Notre Dame players who have ever been named First Team All-Americans by the AP. The team is decided by the same 35 members of the national media panel that comes up with each week’s AP Top 25. Hidalgo, who’s top 25 nationally in assists per game at 5.5 and among the nation’s best rebounding guards at 6.4 per game, also earned All-America nods from The Athletic, Sporting News, ESPN and USBWA. She leads Notre Dame (26-6) into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. The Irish begin play Saturday at 2:15 p.m. ET (ESPN) against No. 15 seed Kent State (21-10). “I’m excited,” Hidalgo said. “We’re going dancing, so that’s really exciting. I’m just excited to play another game with my teammates and to go as far as we possibly can.” Hidalgo averaged 26.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.0 assists in Notre Dame’s two wins last week. She shares the title with Florida State senior forward Makayla Timpson who averaged 23.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game in a pair of Seminoles victories Timpson had 38 points in one of those while Hidalgo was a bit more consistent from a scoring standpoint in going for 24 and 29 Koval put up a staggering 17.5 rebounds per game in Notre Dame’s triumphs over James Madison and Lafayette, meanwhile, to go along with 12.5 points and an equally as impressive as the rebounds number 6.5 blocks per game. The 6-5 post player also averaged 2.5 assists in those games. She’s side-by-side with Georgia Tech guard Dani Carnegie this week Carnegie averaged 17.5 points points per game in two Yellow Jackets wins 13.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in the first four games of her career Notre Dame (4-0) remained No. 6 in the Associated Press Poll on Monday, setting up a Saturday showdown with No. 3 USC (4-0) in Los Angeles. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. RT, just a few hours before the Notre Dame football team kicks off against No. 24 Army (9-0) at Yankee Stadium in the annual Shamrock Series game. Both matchups are televised on NBC. Senior guard Olivia Miles won ACC Player of the Week in the first week of the season She continued her strong return to the floor against JMU and Lafayette nearly putting up a triple-double against the latter with 20 points Hidalgo and Miles are the catalysts for Notre Dame, but the Irish need graduate senior forward Liatu King to be available for Saturday’s game against the Trojans for them to have their best shot of winning the top-six clash who put up 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in her first three games with the Irish missed Sunday’s game at Lafayette with an apparent head injury Without King, the Irish played with six players until former walk-on Sarah Cernugel entered the game in the fourth quarter. Six players probably won’t be enough to hang with a team like USC. There is only so much the likes of Hidalgo, Miles, Koval and the three others can do. a long-time dining institution on Reno’s West Fourth Street corridor has been sold to developer Jacobs Entertainment The restaurant’s sale to Jacobs subsidiary Reno Property Management LLC involved six parcels in total and was finalized on Jan. 31 according to records obtained by the Reno Gazette Journal from Washoe County The previous owner was Paine Properties LLC which lists Jeffry Paine and Kristin Paine as officers according to the Nevada Secretary of State The sale raises questions about the fate of the Gold N’ Silver Inn which bills itself as “Reno’s oldest casual restaurant.” A familiar fixture on the corner of West Fourth and Vine Streets the restaurant has been run by three generations of local families for more than six decades ‘We got railroaded’: Bonanza Inn co-owner says sale forced by city of Reno inspections The Gold N’ Silver Inn developed a loyal following for its long list of traditional comfort fare — country-style biscuits and gravy pork chops and tri-tip sandwiches to name a few Its reputation among locals earned it a spot in season nine of the popular Food Network show “Diners Drive-Ins & Dives” where it was one of the restaurants featured in the episode “Surf ’n Turf.” also owns the Gold Dust West just across the Gold N’ Silver as well as the Sands Regency and land that used to house old motels The purchase and demolition of several motels have especially been controversial because they have essentially served as housing of last resort for lower-income residents who have been squeezed out by Reno-Sparks’ ongoing housing affordability crisis In addition to the sale of the Gold N’ Silver Inn records were also filed with the county for a rental agreement between Jacobs and Paine Properties to continue to operate the restaurant.  The sale of the Gold N’ Silver Inn to Jacobs Entertainment has been the subject of speculation for several years. As recently as 2019, Jeffry Paine told the Reno Gazette Journal that he had no plans to sell the Gold N’ Silver at the time Paine also acknowledged talking with Jacobs Entertainment about the property but described the interaction as “only passing conversations.” Paine did not rule out eventually selling the property The Reno Gazette Journal has reached out to Jacobs Entertainment and the Gold N’ Silver Inn for comment An employee at the restaurant confirmed that the Gold N’ Silver continues to operate 24 hours daily Notre Dame point guard Hannah Hidalgo shared the stage at the espnW Summit in New York City on Thursday with UConn guard Azzi Fudd and South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson, a fellow freshman this past season. The first thing Hidalgo was asked elicited some laughter from the live audience, to nobody’s surprise. Hidalgo is appointment viewing, on and off the court. “My teammates call me a gnat because I’m all over them,” Hidalgo said when asked if she has a go-to nickname. There were a couple other quick-hitting questions thrown Hidalgo’s way. She said the high point of her career so far was Notre Dame winning the ACC Tournament in March. The low point was Notre Dame losing to Oregon State in the Sweet 16. She gave props to her parents and coaches for getting her to where she is today. Here’s everything else Hidalgo said at the summit. On Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey being a players’ coach…“It’s definitely a blessing to be able to have that connection with your coach, to be able to go to her and say, ‘This isn’t working’ or ‘What do you see? I don’t know what to do in this situation.’ It just makes the game so much easier and it makes me as a player want to run through a wall for a coach like that who gives everything and instills everything in you. It’s truly a blessing to be able to have that connection with her.” On someone she looks up to…“[Skylar Diggins-Smith], for sure. Obviously she went to Notre Dame, but she is just a dog on the court. Her being a smaller guard and just the defensive firepower that she brings, I’m able to look at that and kind of model my game after that.” More on what Ivey means to her…“Just to persevere. Obviously Coach Ivey went through some stuff during the season, and just to be able to see her come out on the court with all the stuff that she had gone through and was still going through and still to be able to come to practices and talk to recruits even through everything that she had been through, it was amazing to see. I saw how much she persevered through all the stuff she was going through.” Before Notre Dame point guard Hannah Hidalgo scored even one point as a collegiate student-athlete — she’s up to 189 in eight games now — Fighting Irish head coach Niele Ivey said the five-star freshman would be better for having played played on the USA U19 Women’s National Team in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Hidalgo was named the 2023 USA Basketball 5-on-5 Female Athlete of the Year Hidalgo averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists per game in leading Team USA to the title. Hidalgo set single-game records for steals (8) and assists (13) during the tournament. “Every time she came into the game, she changed the game,” Team USA head coach Joni Taylor said in a press release. “She changed the pace of the game. It’s fun when you can watch someone who is a two-way player and that’s what Hannah is. She’s a two-way player who can dominate on both sides of the basketball.”   Hidalgo’s stat-stuffing style of play has translated to the college game. She is currently averaging 23.6 points, 6.0 steals, 5.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game for No. 14 Notre Dame (7-1). She has scored at least 20 points in seven of the eight games. The international tournament in Madrid, Spain, taught Hidalgo how to operate in foreign environments. For so long, Hidalgo was the alpha on her hometown team in Haddonfield, N.J. She was coached by her father, and she knew how to be that team’s go-to player. It’s different when you’re on a team full of five-star prospects and big-name recruits. That’s sort of been the case at Notre Dame, too. Hidalgo joined a roster stocked with former McDonald’s All-Americans. But some of them have been on the shelf with injuries, and Hidalgo has not been shy to step up her game even though she’s the new girl in the bunch. Notre Dame has needed her very best to get out to a 7-1 start, and Hidalgo has delivered. “She started trusting more,” Taylor said of Hidalgo’s maturation. “What was really special about watching Hannah is that the more and more we spent time together, the more open she became, the more fun she even started to have. That was just a fun thing to experience and witness.”   Notre Dame players and coaches would probably say the same. Notre Dame freshmen Hannah Hidalgo and Cassandre Prosper are coming back to the United States with hardware in hand. Hidalgo won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, and Prosper earned a bronze with Canada. Team USA beat Spain, 69-66, on Sunday in the gold medal game in Madrid. Hidalgo stole the ball away from the host country with nine seconds to go to seal a victory for the Americans. She had nine points, seven assists, four rebounds three steals and one block in the deciding game. She was even better for the duration of the tournament. Early in the fourth quarter of the championship game, Hidalgo showed she’s more than just a flashy point guard with an incredible chase-down block of a Spanish player attempting a three-point shot from the corner. Hidalgo, simultaneously stern and stoic, crossed back over onto the court from the baseline and immediately got ready to finish out her team’s defensive possession. Notre Dame coaches will love to see that kind of competitiveness in a Blue and Gold uniform. Hannah Hidalgo’s closing speed is unreal. What can’t she do? #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/FD4W5hBXRp Prosper, meanwhile, led Canada in scoring with 16.2 points per game. She also contributed 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game. She missed the bronze medal game with an undisclosed injury, but Canada still beat France 80-73. Prosper scored at least 20 points in three of the six games she played. Prosper enrolled early at Notre Dame and played 22.0 minutes per game in 22 games last season. She averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for a Notre Dame team that made it to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season. Technically, Prosper was a part of a 2023 Notre Dame signing class comprised of three five-star talents according to ESPN. Hidalgo is another one of those five stars, and Emma Risch rounds out the group. Notre Dame opens the 2023-24 season vs. South Carolina in Paris, France, on Nov. 6. You might not find anyone in the country playing better basketball than Notre Dame freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo She was recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday for her hot start Hidalgo won ACC Rookie of the Week honors following the conclusion of the first seven days of the regular season Hidalgo averaged 28.5 points to check in with the country’s No 5.0 rebounds and a staggering 7.5 steals per game NC State’s Saniya Rivers won the ACC Player of the Week for scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Wolfpack’s 92-81 upset win over No 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals in NC State’s first two games Hidalgo had 12 steals in Notre Dame’s 104-57 victory over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday. That tied a program record. According to ESPN, Hidalgo is the first Division I player with at least 50 points and 15 steals in the first two games of a season in the last 25 years. Hidalgo’s latest masterful performance came in her native New Jersey. Notre Dame played the NJIT Highlanders on the road in Newark, N.J. Hidalgo is one of five Irish players on the current roster hailing from either New Jersey or New York. “This was a homecoming for them, and it made me so happy,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “The energy was awesome. When we landed and drove around to our hotel, just to see their eyes light up just from being home, that’s what I always want. I want them to have their opportunity in front of their home, their fans, their family, people who have known them their whole lives.” Now, Hidalgo gets the chance to play in front of the home fans in South Bend for the first time in a regular season game on Wednesday. The Irish’s home opener tips off against Northwestern at 7 p.m. ET. In an exhibition game at Purcell Pavilion on Oct. 30, Hidalgo had 23 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals in a 110-48 victory over Purdue Northwest. The Northwestern game is the first one at home that actually counts for Hidalgo, but in a way it feels like the 18-year-old has already been doing this for a long time in a Notre Dame uniform. In actuality, she’s just getting started. “She’s a great player,” Notre Dame junior Sonia Citron said. “I think we all knew this. I think it’s surprising to other people because she is a freshman, but our team has known the impact she was going to have from the beginning. So nothing has surprised me.” “She has a very high IQ,” Ivey added. “Very mature. I’ve known that from recruiting her. It’s like I’m talking to an assistant coach because she sees the game, she’s very cerebral. And she’s very coachable. I can talk to her about different things and she listens. She’s a sponge. And she just wants to win. She’s so competitive that she wants to do whatever it takes, and having someone with that mindset is just awesome to have, especially at the point.” Nobody in the storied history of Notre Dame women’s basketball has won more conference Rookie of the Week awards than Hannah Hidalgo. The superstar freshman won her seventh on Monday, the ACC announced. Last week, Hidalgo tied the previous Notre Dame record of six set by Jacqueline Batteast, Alicia Ratay, Brianna Turner and Sonia Citron. Batteast and Ratay won their awards in the Big East. Citron earned hers in the ACC two years ago. Hidalgo averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in Notre Dame’s pair of games against Pittsburgh and North Carolina. For the season, she’s averaging 23.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 5.7 steals in the first 13 games of her collegiate career. Hidalgo ranks tied for third in the nation in points per game and sits alone at the top in steals. She’s kept Notre Dame afloat during a period in which the roster has been decimated by injuries. Hidalgo has not played fewer than 34 minutes in any game since Nov. 24. With such high usage and a high demand on production, Notre Dame’s 18-year-old phenom has been prone to turning the ball over. She has 50 turnovers for an average of 3.8 per game. That’s among the worst averages in the country. “I obviously look at the ball to see when I can time it,” she said in the video. “And then I also watch the waist. My dad always told me growing up when I’m playing defense, ‘Just watch the waist.’ Don’t look at the eyes because the eyes can be deceiving. You can be looking that way and then pass the ball this way. So watch the waist.” Hidalgo has 74 steals. The all-time Notre Dame record in a single season is 114 set by Skylar Diggins in 2012-13. Diggins also holds the record for most steals by an Irish freshman with 90. At Hidalgo’s current average, she’s on pace to break that mark by the end of the month. She could also be eyeing Diggins’ career record of 181. Current Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey ranks second all-time with 348. Nobody in the country was better than Notre Dame freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo last week. She was named the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Week on Monday. Hidalgo shined on the brightest stage Saturday night, scoring 34 points in an 82-67 victory for the Fighting Irish over then-No. 8 UConn. Hidalgo also had 10 rebounds, notching her sixth double-double of the season, and 6 assists. The weekly Naismith award isn’t doled out based on one game. Albeit in a loss, Hidalgo was outstanding against Syracuse as well. She had 23 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to average 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals against two ranked opponents in the same week. Hidalgo has scored at least 20 points 17 of 19 games. She’s on pace to smash the Notre Dame freshman scoring record of 17.9 set by Beth Morgan in 1993-94. Her 34 points against UConn were the most a Notre Dame freshman has ever scored breaking Michelle Marciniak’s previous record of 33 set in 1991. Hidalgo has scored 30-plus points three times this season. That’s also a Notre Dame freshman record. “Big props to Coach [Niele] Ivey,” Hidalgo said on an NCAA March Madness podcast with Autumn Johnson. “She’s always reassuring me. She just gives me so much freedom from the jump. She has so much trust in me and it makes it so much easier for me to go on and play freely. “And then my teammates trust me a lot too. They want me to shoot the ball. They know that I need to take those shots in order for us to win. They do a great job of setting me up or getting rebounds if I do miss. Everybody has so much confidence and trust in me, so it makes it easier.” Of all the stats that have garnered her so much recognition not even 20 games into her collegiate career, it’s Hidalgo’s steals per game mark of 5.1 she’s the most proud of. “I was always told defense wins championships,” Hidalgo told Johnson. “Everything starts on defense for me and that’s really how I get going. Whether that’s a steal or a deflection or diving on the floor for a loose ball, defense is everything to me. “Especially in that [UConn] game, I was constantly telling my team, ‘Hey, it starts on defense.’ We were just telling each other we got to get stops before we go.” Notre Dame got stops. The Irish went, all the way on to a 15-point victory. Next up for Hidalgo and the Irish is a road game at Georgia Tech (13-8, 4-5 ACC) on Thursday. Hannah Hidalgo took a rare two-week hiatus away from winning ACC Rookie of the Week, but the player who has won the award more than anyone else in its history returned to her rightful place as Monday’s recipient. Hidalgo took it home for the 12th time, bookending the regular season with the individual accolade on Nov. 13 and March 4 with 10 other triumphs in between. Hidalgo was named the overall ACC Player of the Week, too. She earned that prestigious title for the third time this season. The only player who’s gotten it more is Virginia Tech enter Elizabeth Kitley, the reigning ACC Player of the Year. She’s won it six times. She was going for four in a row, but Hidalgo had another thing coming. Hidalgo outshined Kitley in last week’s clash between the then-No. 5 Hokies and then No. 17 Irish. She scored 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Then she backed up that performance with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists in another ranked win for Notre Dame over then-No. 22 Louisville. Hidalgo broke the ACC record for single-season points by a freshman against Virginia Tech. She’s got 689 and counting. She’s on pace to set the Notre Dame single-season scoring average record, too. She’s sitting at 23.8 points per game. Arike Ogunbowale holds the all-time Irish mark of 21.8 set in 2018-19. Hidalgo smashed the Notre Dame single-season steals record which was previously 114 set by Skylar Diggins in 2012-13 Only two other Division I players have reached 100 Siena’s Elisa Mevius ranks second nationally with 117 Hidalgo gets her first opportunity to shine in the postseason starting with the ACC Tournament on Friday at 11 a.m. ET. The No. 4 seed Irish have a double bye and await one of No. 5 seed Louisville, No. 12 seed Clemson or No. 13 seed Boston College. It’s only going to take a couple minutes of Notre Dame’s season opener against South Carolina in Paris, France, on Nov. 6 for Fighting Irish fans to realize Niele Ivey has a problem on her hands There is only one basketball, and Ivey has two of the best point guards in the country suiting up on her side. Junior Olivia Miles has already proven to be in that air. Five-star freshman Hannah Hidalgo will quickly join her.  Ivey has no doubt. Notre Dame teammates have no doubt.  “She is a fantastic point guard and someone that is going to make you better,” junior guard Sonia Citron said.  “She’s a dog,” sophomore guard/forward Cassandre Prosper added.  Hidalgo might even be a better all-around hooper than her slightly older position mate, which is saying a whole lot. Miles already holds the all-time Notre Dame record for triple-doubles with three. Hidalgo is a stat-stuffer herself.  It’s more than that with her, though. Much more.  “When I say she’s different, you guys will see that this year,” Ivey said. “When she steps on the court, her energy is at a different level. Everything is at a different level — defensively, offensively, her confidence, the way she makes everybody better around her.”  Ivey has a comparison for Hidalgo: Notre Dame legend Skylar Diggins-Smith. High praise.  “I would never do that if I didn’t feel very strongly about it,” Ivey said. “When Skylar came in, she changed the game. And everyone adapted to her energy. Hannah is the same way.”  Notre Dame gets its game-changer at the perfect time; Miles is still recovering from major knee surgery performed in April. She told reporters on Oct. 10 the best-case scenario is for her to play against the Gamecocks in Europe next month, but she also said she’s not rushing her process. She wants to be fully healthy and fully confident in the structural integrity of her knee before she plays in a game.  “It’s obviously tough being a freshman and having to take on such a big role, playing with some high Division I girls and playing South Carolina in our first game, it’s definitely tough,” Hidalgo said. “But I don’t feel any stress. I feel like the coaches take a lot of pressure off me. And the teammates that I have, they’re very encouraging and they really help me know that I got this.”  Miles is one of those teammates. She hasn’t been able to practice in the weeks leading up to tipoff, so she’s constantly been in Hidalgo’s ear as a support system. Just two years ago, Miles was a freshman in the same exact position as Hidalgo — taking over as Notre Dame’s starting point guard.  “I know the system. I know what Coach Ivey wants. I know what college basketball is,” Miles said. “Just helping with my experience and my calmness I feel like I bring to the team. When things get too hectic, I feel like I do a good job of calming everyone down.”  Given a positive prognosis with her rehab, it sounds like there will come a time when Miles needs to be less player-coach and more pure player. When that’s reality, she’ll be on the court with Hidalgo. That’s when Ivey will need to overcome what might be the best problem in all of NCAA women’s basketball; how do two of the sport’s best point guards share a backcourt together?  Hidalgo won’t be coming off the bench when Miles is healthy. She’s too good for that.  “She’s the type of player when you see her for one or two possessions, you’re like, ‘She’s the best player on the floor,’” Ivey said. “It could be a steal. It could be the way she breaks somebody down offensively. She can do it on both sides of the ball.  “The intensity, she plays with a level of relentlessness I haven’t seen in a very, very long time. She’s not afraid of the moment. She’s not afraid to be herself. She plays with a level of fearlessness I’ve rarely seen.”  Miles does too. So if Ivey can strike the right chords and get them on the same page, there is no reason why Notre Dame cannot have the best backcourt in the country.  “There is going to be a lot of versatility with that,” Ivey said. “I think Liv can play off the ball. I think Hannah can play off the ball. It’s a matchup nightmare for our opponents. I’m excited for it. To have two incredible ball handlers on the floor at the same time, I think it’s going to be such an advantage for us.”  That’s a different world from finishing the 2022-23 season with Miles sidelined and Citron, a natural wing, running the point.  “I’m excited to say I have two options,” Ivey said. “They’re both program changers, and I think they will do a great job of playing off each other.”