Paxton Smith

Photo by: Dan Madden

Photo by: Tim Benko, Benko Photographics

Height:
5-9
Weight:
null
Class:
Graduate Student
Hometown:
Highlands Ranch, Colo.
High School:
Mountain Vista

ACADEMIC HONORS:
Academic All-MPSF (2018, 19, 20)
Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team (2018, 19)
Pac-12 All-Academic (2020)

2021: Indoor: Did not compete (cross country)
Outdoor: Opened up season with a 2nd-place finish in the 10k at the GCU Invitational ... Ran a 1500m personal best of 3:57.13 a couple weeks later at the Jack Christiansen Invitational ... Finished season at the PAC-12 Championships, where he set personal bests in the 5k and 10k, running 14:13.38 and 29:46.89, respectively.
2020: Indoor: Competed in the 3,000 at both home meets before running the 5,000 at the Husky Classic ... Ran both races at the MPSF Championships where he set a personal best in the 3,000 (8:25.26).
Outdoor: Canceled (Coronavirus)
2019: Indoor: Raced twice during the season ... ran a personal-best 14:27.88 in the 5,000 at the Husky Classic.
Outdoor: Made a strong transition to outdoors ... Ran a personal-best 30:02.88 in the 10,000 at the Bryan Clay Invitational ... Ran both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Pac-12 Championships.
2018: Indoor: Smith’s 2018 indoor campaign was spent focused on the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs. He raced twice in the 3,000, recording a personal best at the Potts invitational in January. He clocked in at 8:49.88 for eighth place. He raced once in the 5,000 at the Husky Classic in February, finishing in 14:45.99.
Outdoor: During his outdoor season, Smith competed in the 1,500-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs, and had top ten finishes in these events in each meet. He recorded a personal best in the 1,500-meter run at the Jerry Quiller Classic clocking in at 4:02.34 for tenth place. At the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge in March, he earned eighth place in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:31.77. He competed once in the 5,000 meters Bryan Clay Invitational in April, earning a personal record of 14:34.51 and placing tenth.
2017: Indoor: In his first season with the Buffaloes, Smith raced once. He competed in the 3,000-meter run at the CU Open where he finished in 8:54.88.
Outdoor: Smith again ran in one meet, this time in the 1,500-meter run. He was 10^th overall at the Jerry Quiller Classic, finishing in 4:06.54.

CROSS COUNTRY:
(2019) Finished 35th at the Pac-12 Championships in 24:04.7 in the 8K ... Ran 31:58.7 at the Regional Championships to finish 51st.
(2018) Ran at Nuttycomb and Prenats before placing top-60 at the Pac-12 Championships ... Placed 73rd at the Regional Championships with a best of 31:17.9 ... Ran a new personal best of 31:12.3 at the NCAA Championships, finishing 163rd overall.
(2017) Smith competed in four meets for the Buffs as a redshirt freshman. He started off with a 23rd place finish at the Colorado State Invitational before recording a 19th place finish at the Rocky Mountain Shootout. Smith went on to race at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational where he was 32nd in the ‘B’ race. He ended the season at the Pac-12 Championships, finishing 69th overall.

HIGH SCHOOL: Smith earned four letters in cross county and four in track at Mountain Vista High School. As a senior, he earned a pair of top five finishes at the Colorado High School Athletic Association 5A State Championships. He was third in the 3,200, finishing in 9:30.50, and placed fourth in the 1,600 with a time of 4:22.29. Smith also placed eighth in the 3,200-meter run at state as a junior after earning a third place finish at the Continental League Championships. On the cross country course, Smith won the 2015 5A Region Championship and followed that up with a fifth place finish at the state meet. That same year, he also placed 23th at the Nike Cross Southwest Regionals and went on to take 71^stat Nike Cross Nationals.

HIGH SCHOOL BESTS: 1,600-meters: 4:22.29; Mile: 4:25.82; 3,200-meters: 9:17.94.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Graduated with degrees in marketing and management (May 2020).

PERSONAL: Paxton Fowler Smith was born on February 13, 1998, in Denver, Colo. He is the son of Steven and Karen Smith of Highlands Ranch, Colo., and has one younger brother, Alex.