The career path of Penn State 125-pound wrestler Adam Smith has mirrored that of his team. As a true freshman in 2001, Smith was pushed into the starting lineup and, as most freshmen do, he struggled. As a team, the Nittany Lions were not much better, finishing 35th at the NCAA Championships.

Last season, Smith improved to finish seventh in the Big Ten and to win a match at the NCAA tournament.

For the Lions as a whole, things got a lot better too, with third- and sixth-place finishes in the Big Tens and the NCAAs, respectively.

Now, in the middle of his third year in the program, Smith has broken through. He is 20-4 on the season and on Monday earned his first-ever national ranking, checking in at No. 8 according to Intermat.

The Lions themselves have broken through also. Three straight wins over Lehigh, Pittsburgh and West Virginia proved emphatically that Penn State is back in its traditional role as the king of eastern college wrestling.

After beating redshirt freshman Matt Smith in a wrestle-off to temporarily claim the starting spot, Smith was a pillar of strength in the Penn State lineup in those three meets, going 3-0, beating two ranked wrestlers and recording a technical fall.

"I'm just wrestling with a lot of confidence," Smith said. "I feel good when I'm training and I feel good during matches. I also have more experience now. I only have a little time left to be an All-American and I'm working to reach that goal"

A boost in confidence is apparent to Smith's coaches.

"Adam is believing in the things he has been working on," Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said. "He has very good technique and his wrestling on top has gotten much better."

Against Lehigh, the Lions fell into a 15-point hole after four matches and needed to win the last six to realistically have a shot at victory.

After two Penn State wins, Lehigh's lead was cut to 15-10. Any slip could have sealed Penn State's demise.

Smith was up next, facing former All-American Mario Stuart. Smith scored four quick points at the start of the third period and won 4-2. The score was now 15-13, and the Lions were on the road to redemption.

"Early in my career, I would have been nervous in that kind of situation," Smith said. "Now I love big matches and pressure. I feed off it."

Pressure will be the name of the game this weekend in Cleveland. The best teams and best wrestlers in the country will be represented and the Lions will have their hands full.

Both Smiths will see action and both will be counted on to acheive a team title for the first time since 1993.

"We're going there to win, period," Adam Smith said. "We're Penn State. We don't plan on finishing second."