Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Cross Country & Track
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Jumps
- Email:
- zivile.pukstas@okstate.edu
- Phone:
- (405) 744-8765
Zivile Pukstiene is in her 13th year at Oklahoma State after joining the Cowgirl staff in 2003. She assists primarily in jumps and sprints. All of Oklahoma State’s outdoor women’s jumping records have been set under Pukstiene’s watch.
Cowgirl high jumper Toni Young earned All-America honors by placing fifth at the 2012 NCAA outdoor meet. She became OSU’s first-ever female high jump All-American and shattered the school record by clearing 1.87 meters/6-01.50 at the national meet.
Pukstiene coached Clarissa Andrews to lengths never before reached for a jumper at Oklahoma State, as Andrews claimed the school record in both the outdoor long jump and the outdoor triple jump under Pukstiene’s watch.
Andrews’ triple jump mark of 13.11 meters/43-00.25 at the 2011 Big 12 Championships obliterated the previous school record of 12.89 meters/42-03.5.
Pukstiene’s work with the Cowgirl jumpers has resulted in five of Oklahoma State’s all-time top seven indoor marks in the long jump and each of the top three indoor marks in the triple jump being set during her time in Stillwater.
The success of Pukstiene’s pupils has also extended to the outdoor season, where five of the top eight marks in the long jump and five of OSU’s all-time top seven marks in the triple jump have been set since Pukstiene’s arrival.
In 2009, Andrews and Baiba Blumbaha logged the two best outdoor long jump marks in school history at the Big 12 Championships and both went on to compete at the NCAA regional meet. Blumbaha then went on to suit up for the Cowgirls at the national meet.
Pukstiene also had an impressive addition to her resume in 2011, as she coached men’s walk-on Taylor Buck to some of the best high jump performances in school history. Buck’s high jump of 2.14m/7-00.25 was the highest mark at Oklahoma State in decades and ranks third in school history.
During her career at Oklahoma State, Pukstiene coached triple jumper Paula Ogunbanjo to a third-place finish at the 2004 Big 12 Indoor Championships and helped develop Ogunbanjo into an NCAA qualifier in 2005. Pukstiene also coached heptatahlete Tihana Sarac to a school record in 2005.
Pukstiene attended Southern Methodist University after beginning her jumping career in her home country of Lithuania. Pukstiene not only set the school record in the triple jump for the Mustangs, but also represented SMU at the 2003 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Pukstiene placed ninth in the Indoor Championships, while claiming a 12th-place finish at the Outdoor Championships.
Before completing her career at SMU Pukstiene was Lithuania’s national champion in the triple jump in 2001 and 2003. She set the Lithuanian junior national record in the triple jump in the under-18, under-20 and under-23 divisions.
Pukstiene is married to Mindaugas Pukstas. The couple has two children, Rokas (born in 2004) and Gabija (born in 2007).
