By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), who was the California and National winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2015, has been named the winner of the 2025 John Smith Award, which recognizes the USA Wrestling men’s freestyle wrestler of the year. This is the first time Valencia has won the prestigious award.

The award is named in honor of two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion John Smith, a Distinguished Member into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Valencia, a 29-year-old native of Bellflower, Calif., completed one of the most dominant seasons in USA Wrestling history in 2025, culminating with the 86 kg men’s freestyle gold medal at the Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Valencia posted an overall record of 24-0 in 2025, with international gold medal wins at the Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International, Zagreb Open, and Senior Pan American Championships, in addition to his World title. Domestically, Valencia won the U.S. Open Championships and Final X to qualify for his second Senior U.S. World Team.

Of his 24 wins on the season, 16 were decided by technical fall, while only 8 went to decision. He combined to outscore his opponents 224-21 on the year, with 16 opponents being held scoreless. Of the 21 match points he surrendered, 8 (38%) were attributed to four-time World champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Kyle Dake.

At the World Championships, Valencia achieved a remarkable feat by not surrendering a single match point during the tournament. Valencia shut out all five of his international opponents, put up 49 total match points, and ended four matches early by technical fall. The only match to go to a decision came in the semifinals, 7-0, against two-time World champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran. He is the third American to give up zero points at the World Championships since the turn of the century (Kyle Dake in 2018, J’den Cox in 2019).

Valencia was one of three U.S. individual champions and five total medalists in the men’s freestyle competition, helping lead the United States to a second-place team trophy behind only Iran.

It was Valencia’s second career Senior World medal, to go with a bronze medal at 92 kg in 2023. He also won a 2017 U20 World silver medal. Valencia was a two-time NCAA champion for Arizona State. He currently trains at the Cowboy RTC, where he is mentored by 2020 Olympic champion David Taylor, who was the Ohio and National winner of the DSHSEA in 2009.

Valencia was recognized as the 2025 John Smith Award recipient at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, held at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

USA Wrestling John Smith Award Winners 

2025 – Zahid Valencia, Stillwater, Okla., Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC

2024 – Spencer Lee, Iowa City Iowa, Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC and David Taylor, Stillwater, Okla., Cowboy RTC

2023 – Vito Arujau, Syosset, N.Y., Spartan Combat WC/Titan Mercury WC

2022 – David Taylor, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC

2021 – Gable Steveson, Apple Valley, Minn., Gopher WC RTC

2020 – No award (COVID-19)

2019 – J’den Cox, Colorado Springs, Colo., Titan Mercury WC

2018 – David Taylor, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2017 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC

2016 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC

2015 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC

2014 – Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio, Sunkist Kids

2013 – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2012 – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2011 – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2010 – J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC

2009 – Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill., New York AC

2008 – Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2007 – Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla., Gator WC

2006 – Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC

2005 – Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2004 – Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2003 – Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2002 – Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2001 – Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2000 – Brandon Slay, Amarillo, Texas, Dave Schultz WC

1999 – Stephen Neal, Bakerfield, Calif., Dave Schultz WC

1998 – Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids

1997 – Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore., Sunkist Kids

1996 – Kendall Cross, Raleigh, N.C., Sunkist Kids

1995 – Kevin Jackson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

1994 – Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

1993 – Terry and Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Team Foxcatcher

1992 – John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids