COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Redshirt junior 184-pounder Jaxon Smith has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced today, Jan. 16.

Smith went 2-0 in the Mitten State. He first knocked off No. 19 Jaden Bullock (Michigan), 4-1, with a score in the match's final seconds. That win gave the Terps the 18 points they needed to defeat No. 10 Michigan, as the Terps ultimately prevailed on criteria points, 19-18, for their first win over a top-10 opponent since 2009. Smith followed up that performance by needing just 1:17 to pin his opponent from Michigan State, helping the Terps defeat the Spartans 27-11 and earning the program's first-ever 2-0 start in the Big Ten. 

This marks Smith's first career Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award. It is the first for a Maryland wrestler since Michael North won the award exactly one year ago, on Jan. 16, 2024.