In his first year as a starter, Danny Burk had an up-and-down season that resulted in a 16-14 record. But with the 2005-06 season coming to a close, the 174-pound junior has looked like the most improved wrestler on the team with a top-20 ranking and a 17-9 record.

The Northern Star caught up with Burk and talked about his new-found confidence, what it’s like wrestling with his brother Duke and his inexplicable back pin against Buffalo.

Northern Star: What’s the difference this year? How do you explain your turn around?

Danny Burk: First of all, I’m a little bit bigger, so I fill out my weight class a little more. And from working hard, I’ve gotten a lot better. I know I can win. The coaches made me believe in a one-point match in the third period, I’m going to have better conditioning and I worked harder than that guy to get there.

NS: What’s it like to wrestle with your brother on the team?

DB: It’s fun. Him and I have always been best friends. We only got to wrestle together one year in high school. We get along great, and he’s someone I can rely on if I need a workout late at night or early in the morning. He’s a really quality wrestler, so I know when I wrestle him, I’m going to get good competition. He’s going to make me work because he cares about me just as much as I care about him and he wants me to do well.

NS: How did you convince him to come here?

DB: The first couple of years I was here, he would come up here and spend a lot of time with us. He got to know everybody and he got to know Coach Grant and realized how Coach Grant gave me a shot and took a chance on me. He realized how much he had worked with me and developed me as a wrestler.

NS: You frequently wrestle guys who are bigger and taller than you. How do you compensate?

DB: I’m a little bit shorter, so that kind of helps because I get better head position on them. Sometimes they’re cutting a little more weight than I am, so in the third period they get a little tired. Most of my weight comes from my legs, and most of them have skinnier legs, so I can use that to my advantage to stay lower and get in on their legs and finish shots.

NS: How did you back pin that guy in the Buffalo match?

DB: I have this move we started working on last year. Whenever a guy throws legs, I’m comfortable sitting back and putting them in a dangerous position. That time, the referee was in the position to see that both shoulders were down. It was kind of nice to see that the move does work for a pin and it was kind of funny.

NS: How do you get ready for a match? Any rituals or superstitions?

DB: Before every match, my mom says the same thing to me that she’s been saying since I was little. Whenever she says that, it helps me relax a little bit. I’m religious, so before I go out, I just thank God for putting me in a position to be out there. About 10 minutes before my match, I get my heart rate back up, so when I go up there I got a little sweat going and I’m not stale the first minute or two.

NS: What are your outside interests besides wrestling?

DB: I just hang out with my brother and family. I read books. I love all sports. Other than that, I’m pretty laid back. I don’t like big crowds, I just like to be around the people I’m comfortable with.

NS: You wrestled up a class against Northern Iowa and won. What did that do for your confidence?

DB: It was different because he was a lot bigger. But on my first shot, I realized he had some weight on me. At the same time, I wrestle bigger guys in practice all the time. It was nice I could move up and get the win for the team. It really didn’t affect me too much.