For athletes, it’s never too early to start dreaming big. For Tyler Nauman, a second-year… For athletes, it’s never too early to start dreaming big. For Tyler Nauman, a second-year wrestler at Pitt, the bigger the better. Just five matches into the year, the sophomore envisions a monumental season.

Nauman, who wrestles in the 141-pound weight class, has led the Panthers throughout the young season. He emerged from last weekend’s competition at Penn State with an overall record of 16-1 and was ranked as high as No. 6 in his weight class in national polls. He was also named the EWL wrestler of the week Nov. 23.

In just his second year, Nauman has high expectations.

“I want a national title,” Nauman said. “I don’t want to sound cocky, but I feel like I can win it this year. I feel like everyone in there is beatable and that I can take it.”

Nauman, who had a respectable record of 21-6 as a redshirt freshman wrestling in open tournaments, has shown improvement this season.

He accredits much of his early success to the increase in practice intensity implemented by coaches, as well as an increase in his conditioning regiment. He said this year’s preseason routines were more rigorous than in the past.

“We really stepped it up,” he said. “Our coaches have stepped up our practices and made them a lot harder.”

Though it’s commonly evident that athletes need to improve in sports, the early returns for Nauman are clear.

A wrestler since he was 5 years old and a high school state champion, Nauman is accustomed to winning. Over the years, he said, he’s gained the confidence that drives him. It’s a mettle that is noticeable to those around him.

“He thinks he can win, and that’s the most important thing,” wrestling head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “He has very high goals for himself, so you should expect him to try and achieve those goals. He wants to stand on the top of the podium at the NCAAs.”

To do that, Nauman must continue to improve.

He admitted to being less comfortable wrestling on his feet, and he wants to improve his offense in that area. He also said he must improve his takedowns so that he can play to his strengths, which lie in his mat skills.

But another thing might hamper Nauman: a tendency to underestimate his opponents.

Last Sunday at the Penn State Open, where Nauman suffered his first loss this season in the quarterfinals, he admitted to a lack of respect for his opponent heading into the final eight.

“I’m not real happy that I lost,” he said. “I’ll learn from it. I overlooked the kid.”

It didn’t sit well with Nauman, as losing never does with the über-competitive sophomore.

“I hate to lose,” he said. “I’m probably the biggest sore loser ever. I hate losing, whether it’s in wrestling or a little card game.”

Stottlemyer has stressed the importance of that point to the entire team, and the ripe Nauman must learn to regard.

“He has to pay attention to every match because there are a lot of good guys out there,” Stottlemyer said. “He needs to stay focused.”

Whether Nauman will do enough over the course of the season to achieve his lofty goals remains to be seen. From now until the NCAA championships, 16 competitions remain on Pitt’s schedule.

During that stretch, Nauman said he will continue to study tapes of past matches and work on the details he believes he must improve.

“I want to work on the small things to put me above the rest,” Nauman said. “Just train hard, and I feel like I can get what I want to get.”