Oklahoma’s Alyssa Brito is Our Esquina’s Latina of the Year

Alyssa Brito helped the Oklahoma Sooners‘ softball team win their fourth consecutive Women’s College World Series. The Tustin, Calif., native’s offensive prowess powered the Sooners over a strong Texas team led by Viviana Martinez. 

Brito’s stellar senior year, which was capped off with a national title, garnered her this year’s Our Esquina Latina Athlete of the Year. She edged out Nebraska volleyball libero Lexi Rodriguez, Notre Dame basketball star Hannah Hidalgo, the 2023 Latina Athlete of the Year, and University of South Carolina and Chicago Sky star Kamilla Cardoso.

Olympians Rebeca Andrade and Marileidy Paulino also received nominations.

Brito’s statistics alone make her worthy of the Latina Athlete of the Year award. Her leadership skills stand out too, though. 

Three-time Champion

During the Women’s College World Series this past summer, Florida and Oklahoma were all tied after the Sooners trailed early. In extra innings Alyssa Brito took Jayda Coleman aside and gave her a pep talk. In that same at-bat Coleman hit a walk-off home run to take Oklahoma to the finals. 

“Yeah, I had been a little frustrated all game,” Coleman said after the game. “Obviously I just want to do anything to help my team. I wasn’t really able to do that. (Alyssa) Brito, she slowed me down and prayed over me. She was like, ‘Surrender it all. Don’t try to control everything. Go for it.’ No matter what, I’m not justified by whatever the at-bat is.”

More from Our Esquina

Kamilla Cardoso helps South Carolina win title

All-American Lexi Rodriguez leads Latinas at Volleyball Final Four

Hannah Hidalgo, Celeste Taylor, Kamilla Cardoso shine defensively

Alyssa Brito, a 22-year-old utility player, flourished in three years with the Sooners. She won three consecutive national championships, capping her career by sweeping the Red River Rivalry in the final. She started 65 of 66 games in her final year playing collegiate softball.

Alyssa Brito 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝑫𝒂𝒚 😮‍💨@alyss_33 goes deep again, @kinziehansen follows with a two-run shot of her own 🫨

Top of 5 | @OU_Softball 10, FSU 2

pic.twitter.com/PMQEe4gX6n

— Softball America (@SoftbalAmerica) May 24, 2024

Brito had a .399 batting average while leading the high-caliber Oklahoma offense with a 1.292 OPS and with 16 doubles. Brito hit a career best 18 home runs. Only senior infielder Tiare Jennings had more home runs for the Sooners with 25.

Brito was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association First-Team All-America Team for a second-straight year. Additionally, she made the NCAA Division I Softball Academic All-America Team of the Year. 

Hannah Hidalgo impresses again

Notre Dame sophomore point guard Hannah Hidalgo, who was Our Esquina’s 2023 Latina of the Year, continues her outstanding run in South Bend, Ind. The Merchantville, N.J., native won a plethora of awards as a freshman.

She was an Associated Press All-America First team, ACC Rookie of the Year, All-ACC First Team, ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Hidalgo also won the Dawn Stanley Award which is given to the best guard. Additionally, she holds the ACC record for most Rookie of the Week Honors with 12. 

As an encore, the 5-foot-6 guard is averaging 25.8 points a game this year. She also surpassed her own personal record with six three-pointers made in a game. With the basketball season just getting started Hidalgo is surely to break her own career numbers from a year ago. 

Other nominees

Four-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guided the Nebraska Cornhuskers into the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Final Four. She played in all 122 sets. The Sterling, Illinois, native led Nebraska in digs with 473. She averaged 3.88 digs per set and had 127 assists.

The two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year also set Nebraska’s all-time digs record.

Kamilla Cardoso, who was third pick of the WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky, had a solid rookie season. The Monte Claros, Brazil, native averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She also averaged 1.7 assists.

Andrade, a Brazilian gymnast, beat seven-time Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles in the floor exercise by 0.033 points at the Paris Olympics. Paulino became the first woman from the Dominican Republic to win a gold medal in the women’s 400 meter race.

^{Featured art by Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma.}