Kaylene Smikle has established herself as one of the premier guards in the Big Ten, known for her scoring consistency, clutch performances, and relentless competitive edge.

In her junior season (2024–25), Smikle earned All-Big Ten First Team honors from the media and Second Team recognition from the coaches. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week twice (Jan. 6 and Feb. 9, 2025) and earned an additional spot on the Honor Roll (Dec. 23, 2024). Smikle scored in double figures in 30 of 33 games, leading Maryland with 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shining on the national stage by averaging 19–21 from the free-throw line across three NCAA Tournament games.

Her junior campaign was packed with highlights, including a career-high 36 points on 13-18 shooting in a win at Washington, a season-high 26 points with six steals against No. 23 Iowa, and a 26-point performance with clutch overtime scoring against No. 12 Ohio State. She became the fastest player in Maryland history to reach 1,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in just 58 games. Smikle also scored 24 points with 7 rebounds in an NCAA Second Round win over Alabama and led Maryland with 17 points in the Sweet Sixteen matchup vs. No. 2 South Carolina.

Before transferring to Maryland, Smikle was a standout at Rutgers, where she made an immediate impact. As a freshman in 2022–23, she averaged 17.9 points per game—fifth in the Big Ten—and became Rutgers’ all-time leading freshman scorer with 573 points, earning spots on the All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Over two seasons with the Scarlet Knights, she averaged 17.3 points and 4.7 rebounds across 47 games.
A four-star recruit and the No. 11 ranked wing nationally (espnW), Smikle was also ranked the No. 64 overall prospect in the country coming out of high school.