Burburija Claims Sixth Place in Big 12 Championship Debut
3/9/2025 10:16:00 PM | Wrestling
TULSA, Okla. – Air Force freshman wrestler Brian Burburija battled his way to a sixth-place finish in the 197-pound division the highly competitive 2025 Big 12 Conference Championships, Sunday afternoon, in the BOK Center. Burburija joins the ranks of Cody Phippen (5th, 2020), Wyatt Hendrickson (3rd, 2021), and Tucker Owens (6th, 2023) as AF freshman placers at the Big 12 Tournament.
Burburija opened the day in the consolation semi-finals against four seed No. 15 Zach Glazier of South Dakota State for a chance to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualification. Glazier scored the first takedown at 1:57 and rode the Falcon out for the remainder of the first period. The pair went scoreless in the second after a standing start. Glazier, starting from bottom in the third period, escaped in eight seconds and scored his last takedown in the waning seconds of the period to seal the deal, 8-0.
Burburija headed to the fifth-place match against second seed Joey Novak of Wyoming. Burburija entered the match with a previous loss to Novak in the quarterfinals, 4-3.
Novak got to work early with a takedown at 2:20 and a ride out to the whistle. The Falcon took the bottom position and was unable to wrangle an escape point in the second period. In the third period, Novak scored an escape four seconds in and another takedown 44 seconds later. With a penalty award and a riding time point, Novak secured fifth place, 9-0.
Oklahoma State claimed the team title with a win in the final match of the night.
Brian Burburija, Fr., 197 lbs
Day 1 Results
(7) Brian Burburija (AF) over Andrew Donahue (UNC), 5-0
(2) Joey Novak (WYO) over (7) Brian Burburija (AF), 4-3
(7) Brian Burburija (AF) over (8) Bradley Hill (OU), SV-1 4-1
(7) Brian Burburija (AF) over (6) Nate Schon (ISU), 6-4
Day 2 Results
(4) Zach Glazier (SDSU) over (7) Brian Burburija (AF), 8-0
(2) Joey Novak (WYO) over (7) Brian Burburija (AF), 9-0
Final Team Scores
1 Oklahoma State 153.5
2 Northern Iowa 149.5
3 South Dakota State 110.0
4 Iowa State 107.5
5 Northern Colorado 79.5
6 West Virginia 77.5
7 Oklahoma 72.5
8 Missouri 65.5
9 North Dakota State 58.5
10 Wyoming 58.0
11 Arizona State 43.0
12 Utah Valley 21.5
13 California Baptist 15.0
14 Air Force 11.5
The Falcons will officially bring the 2024-25 campaign to a close at the annual awards banquet on Saturday, April 12. The banquet will take place from 5 pm to 8 pm in the Blue & Silver Room of the Eisenhower Golf Club. Attendees are asked to dress in business casual/service dress. Entrance is $20 per person. Family, friends, and fans must RSVP to coach Joe Johnston with first and last names of all attendees in the party by April 5.
Burburija opened the day in the consolation semi-finals against four seed No. 15 Zach Glazier of South Dakota State for a chance to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualification. Glazier scored the first takedown at 1:57 and rode the Falcon out for the remainder of the first period. The pair went scoreless in the second after a standing start. Glazier, starting from bottom in the third period, escaped in eight seconds and scored his last takedown in the waning seconds of the period to seal the deal, 8-0.
Burburija headed to the fifth-place match against second seed Joey Novak of Wyoming. Burburija entered the match with a previous loss to Novak in the quarterfinals, 4-3.
Novak got to work early with a takedown at 2:20 and a ride out to the whistle. The Falcon took the bottom position and was unable to wrangle an escape point in the second period. In the third period, Novak scored an escape four seconds in and another takedown 44 seconds later. With a penalty award and a riding time point, Novak secured fifth place, 9-0.
Oklahoma State claimed the team title with a win in the final match of the night.
Brian Burburija, Fr., 197 lbs
Day 1 Results
(7) Brian Burburija (AF) over Andrew Donahue (UNC), 5-0
(2) Joey Novak (WYO) over (7) Brian Burburija (AF), 4-3
(7) Brian Burburija (AF) over (8) Bradley Hill (OU), SV-1 4-1
(7) Brian Burburija (AF) over (6) Nate Schon (ISU), 6-4
Day 2 Results
(4) Zach Glazier (SDSU) over (7) Brian Burburija (AF), 8-0
(2) Joey Novak (WYO) over (7) Brian Burburija (AF), 9-0
Final Team Scores
1 Oklahoma State 153.5
2 Northern Iowa 149.5
3 South Dakota State 110.0
4 Iowa State 107.5
5 Northern Colorado 79.5
6 West Virginia 77.5
7 Oklahoma 72.5
8 Missouri 65.5
9 North Dakota State 58.5
10 Wyoming 58.0
11 Arizona State 43.0
12 Utah Valley 21.5
13 California Baptist 15.0
14 Air Force 11.5
The Falcons will officially bring the 2024-25 campaign to a close at the annual awards banquet on Saturday, April 12. The banquet will take place from 5 pm to 8 pm in the Blue & Silver Room of the Eisenhower Golf Club. Attendees are asked to dress in business casual/service dress. Entrance is $20 per person. Family, friends, and fans must RSVP to coach Joe Johnston with first and last names of all attendees in the party by April 5.
Players Mentioned
197
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