Stephen Dwyer said he grew up wrestling his brothers like many boys do. Eventually, his father put that energy to use by signing him up for a youth wrestling club.
The Nebraska sophomore never imagined then where wrestling would take him.
Now he knows just were it can lead.
"Coming to Nebraska, I have an opportunity that people at other schools don't have," Dwyer said. "It's a better education, I think, and I get to travel around the nation.
"I get to wrestle better competition, and that makes me a better wrestler."
Dwyer said his high school in Rockton, Ill., was full of inexperienced wrestlers who had just begun to wrestle; and his coach mainly focused on conditioning and grinding it out on the mat.
"That's a disadvantage," Dwyer said. "There's only so much you can learn in a couple of years."
Even with a lack of competition and experience in the practice room, Dwyer was able to work his way to an Illinois class AA state championship. NU Coach Mark Manning picked it up from there.
"He brings an intensity and an attitude to our team," Manning said. "He brings that attitude and toughness when he practices, and that's how he competes - with the attitude to out-tough and out-fight the other guys."
Dwyer said his sights were not set on Division I competition until his senior year, when offers began to come in and the thought of taking on a bigger challenge persuaded him to sign with the Cornhuskers.
"He had placed in national meets and he had won the state tournament," Manning said. "We knew he had great work ethic and great character, so we knew we could develop him."
Manning said Dwyer has done a lot of work on his own, which helped spark rapid development.
"He's a real hard worker," Manning said. "He does what we ask, and he trains year around. He has an attitude that he wants to be the best, and he knows he's got to keep getting better and keep improving."
Dwyer's work has landed him a starting role on an NU team ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.
"This is the first time I've been on a team that has talent and commitment," Dwyer said.
Dwyer has recorded an impressive start to the 2008 spring campaign, going 6-0, including four wins in the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls Iowa on Saturday and Sunday. But Manning said he still has work to do in becoming the best wrestler he can be.
"He's gotten better on his feet, and he's really tough (when he's) on top," Manning said. "He's got to keep improving in every area."
As NU tries to surge up the polls and dive into the rest of the season, Manning credits a big part of the team's success to Dwyer's work in the practice room and in matches.
"He carries an attitude with him that it's going to be a fight when he's out there," Manning said. "He knows he's got to keep getting better. He hasn't been an All-American or won the Big 12 tournament yet, so really, he's in the development stage of reaching those goals."
Manning said he is optimistic about the future of the team and Dwyer as an individual, but is focused on the here and now.
"He's one cog in the wheel," Manning said. "We've got to get everyone competing to the best of their potential.
"Then we'll watch something special."
Davehoufek@dailynebraskan
is a member of the 
