Oklahoma State University Athletics
Coaching staff set for women's track and field
September 17, 2003 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Sepulveda continues to set up for future success less than a month into his own hiring. With his staff set, Sepulveda says the coaches can now focus on helping their athletes improve.
'Now that the staff is finally here, we can finally start getting more work done,' Sepulveda said. 'The key to any success is setting up a great coaching staff. I think that with the tremendous coaches that we have, we'll be able to move up in the Big 12.'
Steer, the 2002 USA Indoor and Outdoor Champion in the shot put, was officially hired Tuesday and will coach the Cowgirl throwers. A two-time USA Indoor Champion and a two-time NCAA champion while at Southern Methodist University, she will add her many experiences on the national and international level to the coaching mix.
'When he first put the idea to me, I thought ‘no' because I have training for the Olympics for one more year and then I'll think about coaching,' Steer said. He kept talking about what a great opportunity it would be to start a program together - especially since I had coached under him before and we know what it takes to have a national caliber track and field program.
'I got really excited, and the more I thought about it and the more we talked about it, I wanted to come down and look for myself. I thought ‘hey we could build a program here' and decided to take it.
'I think I can build a very good program with a good girls throwing group that can be considered nationally, and Oklahoma State, hopefully, will become one of the top schools to go to for throwing.'
Steer was a seven-time Nebraska High School champion at Crete, Neb., and made an appearance at the 2000 Olympic games. Steer was ranked the No. 7 discus and shot putter in the world and the No. 1 shot putter in the United States by Track and Field News in 2002.
'I took her to her first US Junior National Championship when she was a freshman at SMU,' Sepulveda said. 'Ever since then, we've stayed good friends. So when I got the job, its always been in the back of my head that I wanted to hire Teri. She brings so much to the coaching mix.'
Pukstiene will coach the Cowgirl jumpers. A native of Lithuania, Pukstiene finished 12th in the triple jump at the NCAA championships in 2003 for Southern Methodist University. This also marks Pukstiene's first stint as a coach.
'It was a surprise for me,' Pukstiene said. 'I thought in the future, I would start coaching with children because of my degree, but he (Sepulveda) called and said the girls needed a coach - it was a good opportunity for me.'
The triple jump record holder at SMU, Pukstiene is a former Lithuanian national champion. Pukstiene had the second longest triple jump in the NCAA in 2003. Pukstiene is working on her master's degree in physical education at Oklahoma State.
'Her biggest thing is her technical knowledge of the jumps,' Sepulveda said. 'And, like Teri, she leads by example because she has been a high level jumper. I think she also brings leadership as far as consistency and balance.'
The Cowgirl track and field schedule has not been released, but the Cowgirl cross country team continues to practice in anticipation of the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater on Oct. 4.
