In high school, she played for the
Brevard Blue Devils, where she was rated by
Soccer America as the third-best high school soccer prospect in the U.S. She was also selected as a
Parade and
NSCAA High-School
All-American in 2001 and 2002. She also ran
track for two seasons, winning the WAC Conference Runner award and state
400 metres in 2001, and participated in
swimming for one year at Brevard. She played youth club soccer for the Greensboro Twisters and the Atlanta Lightning, winning the under-19 national championship with the latter. In college, Steadman played for the
North Carolina Tar Heels from 2003 to 2004, where she was a
letter-winner. She enrolled at UNC a year-and-a-half prior to her scheduled high school graduation, though she had to
redshirt during the 2002 season to recover from a
torn ACL. The 2003 season, which saw Carolina win the
2003 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, was ended early for Steadman after she again tore her ACL. In February 2005, extensive damage was revealed on her knee when undergoing a fifth surgery in three-and-a-half years, revealing she had played the previous season without an ACL and had no
meniscus. Shortly after, she decided to give up her athletic career entirely. In total, she scored 3 goals and recorded 2 assists in 37 appearances for the Tar Heels. Steadman was part of the
U.S. under-19 squad that won the
2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Canada, though she tore her ACL during the tournament. ==Personal life==