Career: Career record of 60-16, including 23-2 in duals and 14-1 in SoCon duals at 125 pounds ... Automatic NCAA qualifer in 2023 as SoCon champion ... At-large NCAA qualifier in 2022 in his first year as a starter with a first-round win by an 8-5 decision against Minnesota’s Patrick McKee, who placed third the previous year and followed the loss to Smith with five straight wins and then a 6-1 record to place fifth ... Placed fifth at Southern Scuffle as a redshirting true freshman in 2019 ... U23 World Team Trials fifth-place finisher (freestyle All-American) at 57 kg in Geneva, Ohio ... NWCA All-Academic winner in 2022 ... NWCA All-Academic winner in 2022.
2022-23: SoCon champion and All-SoCon at 125 ... Finished with a 26-7 record after going 14-0 in duals, 8-0 in SoCon duals and 3-0 at the SoCon Championship at 125 pounds ... Won 6-3 against Presbyterian’s Dominic Chavez in the SoCon final ... Had seven wins against ranked or NCAA-qualified wrestlers, highlighted by a 12-2 major decision against Nebraska’s Liam Cronin (No. 3 NCAA seed) in Las Vegas and a 5-4 win at the Southern Scuffle against Northern Colorado’s Stevo Poulin (No. 6 NCAA seed) ... Also had wins against Maryland’s Braxton Brown, NC State’s Jarrett Trombley, Virginia Tech’s Eddie Ventresca, UNC’s Jack Wagner and Campbell’s Anthony Molton ... Went 0-2 at the NCAAs with close losses to a two-time All-American (2021, 2023) and the 2022 fourth-place finsher ... Had dual wins against ranked opponents from NC State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Campbell ... In App State’s 19-16 victory at North Carolina, with each team winning five matches, came up with six huge points with a pin in a ranked showdown against Wagner ... Opened App State’s 22-14 victory against Campbell by getting a tiebreaking takedown with 25 seconds left to win 4-1 in a ranked matchup at 125 ... Won 3-2 against Trombley in NC State dual by earning a tiebreaking takedown with 39 seconds left ... Quarterfinalist at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational before finishing 2-2.
2021-22: Had a 24-8 record as an NCAA Championships qualifier in first year as a starter at 125 pounds ... Went 9-2 in duals and 6-1 in SoCon duals (with 30 team points amassed in those seven matches) ... App State clinched SoCon regular-season title thanks to Smith’s overtime takedown of Korbin Meink to cap the Mountaineers’ 19-13 win against Campbell ... At NCAAs, upset reigning third-place finisher Patrick McKee by an 8-5 score before losing 6-2 against Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona and 10-7 against Rutgers’ Dylan Shawyer … Against McKee, used an early takedown and a reversal late in the first period to establish a 4-3 lead, led 6-4 late in the third period and sealed the victory on a takedown with 17 seconds remaining … Ranked wins against Meink of Campbell and Jake Ferri of Kent State (pin) during the regular season ... Six regular-season losses by a combined 12 points against No. 4 Brandon Courtney of Arizona State (6-5), No. 14 Drake Ayala of Iowa (5-2), No. 14 Jakob Camacho of NC State (5-3), No. 24 Fabian Gutierrez of Chattanooga (8-6 and 5-3) and No. 29 Korbin Meink (5-3 SV-1 in SoCon semifinal) ... Had eight pins and 12 wins with bonus points … Third-place finisher at the SoCon Championship in a bracket that included three ranked wrestlers.
2020-21 (Didn't count against eligibility because of COVID): Went 10-1 overall (6-1 at 125 pounds and 4-0 at 133 pounds to end season) … At 133, won by fall in a dual extra against Presbyterian and then went 3-0 (with two overtime wins) at the Edinboro Round Robin Invitational … Had a pin at 125 pounds in a dual extra against Bellarmine … Went 4-0 at the App State Individual Quad event with a 4-1 decision against Virginia’s Patrick McCormick, who qualified for the NCAAs … Lone loss to NC State’s Jakob Camacho, who was seeded No. 6 at the NCAAs ... Named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar.
2019-20: Redshirting as an unattached wrestler, went 22-10 at 125 pounds and placed fifth at the Southern Scuffle … Won first place at the Newberry Open with a 4-0 recorded that included a win by tech fall (16-1) in the final against UNCP's Anthony Carter. Opened the tournament with a win by a 10-3 decision, recorded a quarterfinal pin and reached the final with an 8-1 decision … At the Southern Scuffle, went 5-2 and posted a takedown in the first 10 seconds of a 9-3 semifinal loss to fourth-ranked Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State. Had notable wins against previously ranked Jonathan Tropea of Rider, Navy’s Aslan Kilic and VMI starter John McGarry (13-0 major decision) … Beat North Carolina starter Joseph Melendez 2-0 to reach the Appalachian Open semifinal round … Placed fifth at the National Collegiate Open by going 3-2.
High School: 3-A state champion at 126 pounds as a Southwest Guilford senior to finish his career with a 186-21 record and 73 pins … Went 48-2 as a senior, winning a 7-2 decision in the state final … Four-time state qualifier and three-time state placer … Third place at the Virginia Beach Nationals to earn All-America status … Named to the N.C. All-Star Team that wrestled against a team of South Carolina All-Stars in 2019 … Four-time all-conference selection … Three-time Most Outstanding Wrestler for SW Guilford and two-time Guilford County Wrestler of the Year … Wrestled for the School of Hardknocks club team coached by Bobby Lloyd and Mike Dalton … Born May 24, 2001 … Son of Lee and Tanya Smith … Has two siblings: Micah and Maya.
