ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine Athletic Department is proud to announce that Brandon Holt (men's ice hockey) and Adrianna Smith (women's basketball) are the recipients of the 2026 'M' Club Dean Smith awards.

The 'M' Club Dean Smith award is the most prestigious award presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes at the University of Maine. To be considered for this award, athletes are nominated by their coaches and must have demonstrated outstanding academic and athletic achievement, be of outstanding character and a contributor and leader within their community.

It was in 1993 that the 'M' Club named the award after former UMaine student-athletes standout Dean Smith. In 1990, Smith had the top grade-point average among electrical engineering majors at UMaine and was the Northeast Atlantic Conference scoring leader in men's basketball. He was a three-time Academic All-American, and he received the prestigious NCAA Walter Byers Award as the nation's top scholar-athlete.

Smith, a three-time America East All-Academic Team honoree, completed her degree in Kinesiology & Physical Education (exercise science) and a Food Science minor with a 3.79 grade point average (GPA) and will earn Master's in Business Administration with a 3.93 post-graduate GPA. She achieved Dean's List honors in seven semesters with three selections to the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll and a spot on the America East Honor Roll as a freshman. A two-time Presidential Scholar, she was awarded UMaine's Presidential Scholar-Athlete honors in the fall of 2025. Smith, a four-time UMaine scholar-athlete medal recipient for achieving a 3.0+ GPA, achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring of 2024. In addition to her role as a student-athlete, Smith completed 150 observational hours as an intern at County Physical Therapy. 

Smith leaves UMaine as one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of the women's basketball program. Smith became just the 11th player in the history of the conference to be named the America East Player of the Year twice after earning the honor for a second-time in 2026. She is a three-time America East All-Conference First Team selection and was named to the league's all-defensive team in 2026. Smith posted some historic marks in her fifth year season as she became the only student-athlete, male or female, in America East history to surpass 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 400 assists in a career. After leading the conference in scoring, rebounding, and assists in 2025-26, she ended the regular season as the only player in Division I to average 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, and four-plus assists. On a national level, Smith was named one of five finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and one of 10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year accolade. She concluded her UMaine playing career ranked seventh in the program's record books in scoring (1,887 points), third in rebounding (1,052), and fifth in assists (431). Smith, who signed a professional basketball contract with the Dandenong Rangers in Australia's NBL1, is planning a future career in physical therapy. 

Her off-court accolades are equally as impressive as some of her on-court accomplishments. Smith was selected as the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group Chair for the 2025-26 term and served on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Committee in 2024-25. For three-years, she devoted her time as a student-athlete mentor and was a student-athlete tutor from 2024-26. Smith dedicated several hours volunteering throughout Orono and surrounding area, dedicating her time to Asa C. Adams Elementary, Old Town Elementary, Dirigo Pines Senior Living Center, YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, and the Bangor Homeless Shelter.

Holt, a senior who is an Accounting and Finance double major with a  grade point average of 3.96, is a seven-time Dean's List selection and three-time Presidential Scholar. Selected to TEAM MAINE in 2024 representing the men's hockey student-athlete who achieved the highest GPA for the team, Holt was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society and was a finalist for the 2026 Maine Business School Faculty Award. A three-time Division I All-American Scholar, Holt was selected to the Hockey East All-Academic Team in 2023, 2024, and 2025 and earned a spot on the Hockey East All-Academic All-Star Team in 2024. The Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award recipient signed a professional hockey contract with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL in the spring of 2026.

On the ice, Holt guided the Black Bears to the 2025 Hockey East Championship. As a captain for the 2025-26 season, Holt was named the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman and selected as a Hockey East First Team All-Star. He also earned the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award, given annually to the Hockey East player who demonstrates superior conduct and sportsmanship on and off the ice. Holt then concluded his career by being named a AHCA/CCM First Team All-American, becoming the first Black Bear defenseman to earn an All-America nod since Ben Hutton in 2014 and the first blue liner to earn First Team accolades since David Cullen in 1999. For his senior season, Holt finished the year tied for first among all Division I defensemen in assists with 26 and tied for fourth among defensemen with 32 points. His 32 points marked the first time a Maine defenseman recorded 30 or more points in a season since 2011-12. A four-time Hockey East Defender of the Week, Holt was named a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award, presented to the best American-born collegiate men's hockey student-athlete in New England. The runner-up for the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman award in 2024-25, Holt was named a Hockey East Third Team All-Star in his junior year. Holt concluded his four-year career with 18 goals and 60 assists for 78 points.

Holt made a tremendous impact throughout the community during his time in Maine. Using hockey as a platform to inspire others and give back to those who support he and his teammates, Holt attended several volunteer opportunities highlighted by his time taking part in the Champion the Cure Challenge run to help raise funds for local cancer care, competing in Orono's Pie in the Sky Race, and joining the Old Town-Orono YMCA for it's 'Haunted Y' event within the Halloween season.

-UMaine-