Hannah Hidalgo recorded the 500th steal of her college career on Saturday, and the Notre Dame guard became the first player in college basketball history with at least 2,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 500 steals.
She marked it with 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and four steals as the No. 13 Fighting Irish beat DePaul 108-84 in the Shamrock Classic at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Fifth to 500
Only four women in NCAA Division I history had reached 500 career steals before Hidalgo, and she got there in her first four games as a senior. Steals have been an official NCAA women’s statistic only since the 1987-88 season, so every name on the list comes from the modern era.
- Chastadie Barrs, Lamar: 649
- Natalie White, Florida A&M: 624
- Ticha Penicheiro, Old Dominion: 591
- Heidi Caruso, Lafayette: 532
- Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: 500 and counting
Hidalgo entered this season with 481 steals in 103 games, an average of about 4.7 a night. At that pace she needs roughly seven more games to pass Caruso and about 32 more to catch Barrs’s record of 649. Notre Dame’s regular season, conference tournament and a deep NCAA Tournament run would give her close to that many chances, so the all-time mark is a live target before she leaves South Bend.
A résumé built on defense
The milestone fits a career that has already rewritten the record book. Notre Dame’s official player page lists her as the holder of the NCAA single-season steals record and the Division I single-game record of 16 steals, set against Akron on November 12, 2025. She was the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year last season, when she averaged 25.3 points and 5.6 steals.
Her start to this season has been just as busy. She had 27 points and 10 steals against Stonehill on November 6, the seventh game of her career with at least 20 points and 10 steals, and she set the program record for made free throws against Detroit Mercy four days later.
How the game was won
DePaul hung around for three quarters. The Blue Demons led 9-5 early and trailed only 26-24 in the second quarter. A 16-5 Irish burst in the final minutes of the half made it 49-34 at the break. Gina Davorija scored 13 of her 15 points in the third quarter as DePaul pulled within 11, but the Irish opened the fourth on a 7-0 burst and pulled away.
Leah Macy added 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting for Notre Dame (4-0). The Irish outscored DePaul 74-38 in the paint. Kate Clarke led DePaul (4-1) with 20 points, and first-year guard Mikaia Litza had 14 points and 11 assists for her first career double-double.
Hidalgo is one of the faces of a women’s game that keeps growing its audience. For another angle on that boom, read how Caitlin Clark became the first athlete signed as a brand partner by Dick’s Sporting Goods and Foot Locker, and find more college and pro results on our Sports section page.
DePaul returns home to host Bradley at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Wednesday, November 18. Hidalgo now sits 32 steals behind Caruso for fourth place on the all-time list.
Further reading
- Wikipedia: List of NCAA Division I women's basketball career steals leaders
- Wikipedia: Hannah Hidalgo
Image: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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