At a critical point in Sunday's dual meet with Bloomsburg, Clay Steadman jogged onto the wrestling mat.

The 197-pound grappler for the Penn State wrestling team found his team trailing in a close contest with just two matches re-maining, but he knew how to handle the situation.

Steadman rallied late in the third period of his match to notch a win for his team and helped secure the Nittany Lions' eventual 23-15 victory.

The pressure the redshirt sophomore faced with his team down 15-14 is something Steadman said added to the win, but he knows the tense moments will only increase as the season progresses.

Still, composing himself to battle for a 3-1 win is something he may not have been able to do last season.

Last season, Steadman was forced into the 197-pound spot after starter Andrew Haile was injured early in the year. Steadman went 5-16 in the unexpected role, but was able to earn a lot of experience that's helped him early this season.

"Last year, I was out there and I felt like I used up at least half my energy just being nervous," Steadman said. "Now going out there, I knew what was going to happen. I knew what I was going to feel."

Though Steadman lost his opening match Friday at Lehigh, it was an indication of the improvements he's made under coach Cael Sanderson.

His opponent, Joe Kennedy, won by major decision, 15-3, in their match last season.

But this year it was a closer contest. Steadman lost 4-2 after a bonus riding-time point was awarded to Kennedy in a bout that was scoreless after the first period.

The close contest showed Sanderson the leap Steadman took from last season.

"As his confidence grows, he's going to get better," Sanderson said.

"He was in the match [Friday] in Lehigh against a kid that I think majored him the year before. So, he's making progress. It's just the confidence will come with that."

Steadman said the coaching staff has helped him become a better all-around wrestler. He said the coaches have simplified wrestling, and have made him more comfortable in any position he'll face in match.

A point of emphasis that's helped Steadman is focus. The coaches have instilled the idea of focusing solely on each wrestler's match rather than the surroundings.

Steadman said he was able to carry that over into Sunday's dual meet and concentrated on keeping his feet moving while making sure his opponent had no room to breathe.

The fact Steadman is taking the coaches advice and putting it to good use is something assistant coach Casey Cunningham believes is a strong suit of the 197-pounder.

"He's a kid that trains like an animal," Cunningham said. "He took some lumps last year, but last year doesn't matter anymore.

"He's a different guy than he was last year, so we're expecting more out of him."