DeKALB | After competing in the wrestle-offs last weekend, the NIU wrestling team will finally get its season underway this Saturday at the Pointer Open in Wisconsin.

The younger brother of senior teammate Danny Burk, Duke looks to have a break-out season after being redshirted last year.

The Northern Star got a chance to catch up with the Peoria native to talk about everything from John Wayne to him taking on his brother.

NS: You compiled a 30-0 record during your first three years of high school. What made you choose NIU over other schools?

DB: I signed here early because my brother was here and I was able to talk to the coaches a lot. It really seemed like a family thing among the team and I liked that.

NS: Is it weird going to the same school and competing for the same team as your brother?

DB: No, not really. We’ve wrestled together our whole lives, so I am pretty much used to it. I’ve always just looked up to him.

NS: Have you learned a lot from him throughout your wrestling career?

DB: When he first came to Northern, he would come back over the summer and I would learn a lot from him then. I learned the most between my sophomore and junior years of high school.

NS: Do you guys get on each other’s case after a match or in practice?

DB: Yeah, if one of us has a bad match we will let the other know about it. We wrestle a lot during practice too.

NS: So, you think you can take him?

DB: Well, we pretty much go back and forth now. He would beat me in high school but I weigh more now so it’s pretty even. We know each other’s style so well so it’s really hard.

NS: Being a freshman, have the other guys picked on you or adopted a nickname for you?

DB: Nope, just Duke, that’s my nickname. My first name isn’t Duke by the way, it’s Ryan.

NS: Really, I thought that was your real first name. How did that nickname come along?

DB: My dad was a really big John Wayne fan, so I’ve been called Duke since I was about two years old. And it just caught on with everyone here.