Josh Schmidt joined the University of Maryland Media Relations Office in June 2021. Back at his alma mater and in his home state, Schmidt will be the main contact for volleyball and wrestling while acting as the secondary contact for women's basketball.Â
Previously at the University of Houston, he worked with the soccer and tennis programs while also assisting both basketball programs. During the Cougars' 2021 Final Four run Schmidt helped spearhead the social media coverage.Â
Before joining the Cougars, Schmidt spent nearly two years at the University of Minnesota as the SID for both the wrestling and soccer programs. Improving the social media experience, working with local newspapers, and commanding all press box operations, he was the primary contact for both teams.Â
In Minneapolis he worked hand-in-hand with a top-ten wrestling program, including the 2020 Big Ten Heavyweight Champion, before earning a nomination by the National Wrestling Media Association for 2020 SID of the Year. He was also involved in the planning and operation of the 2019 Big Ten Wrestling Tournament and the canceled 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships.Â
Schmidt helped plan, promote, and run the return of WWE and UFC superstar Brock Lesnar for the 20th Anniversary of his NCAA Title at the team's 2020 Big Ten opener.Â
A native of SIlver Spring, Schmidt attended Penn State University before finishing his education at the University of Maryland. As an undergraduate journalism major he wrote for the student newspapers at both schools before testing his hand in the Media Relations Office at Maryland.
While there he wrote feature stories, operated stat software, and assisted in gameday operations. In College Park he worked with nearly every program, mainly focusing on both basketball teams, football, volleyball, softball, and track/field.Â
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