2024 Cross Country Roster

Rojs Puks

  • Class Fifth Year
  • Hometown Liepaja, Latvia
  • Prev School Oral Roberts

Biography

(personal bests – as of June 14, 2023)
Date Year Event Statistic Meet
May 13 2021 800 Meters (Outdoor) 1:54.78 Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Championship
Feb. 8 2020 800 Meters (Indoor) 1:54.85 Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational
April 24 2021 1500 Meters 3:57.20 John McDonnell Invitational
Jan. 22 2022 Mile 4:20.12 Vanderbilt Invitational
Feb. 21 2022 3000 Meters (Indoor) 8:38.89 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship
May 13 2022 3000 Steeplechase 9:33.90 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship
March 27 2021 4x400-Meter Relay (Outdoor) 3:29.06 ORU Invite
Jan. 23 2021 4x400-Meter Relay (Indoor) 3:28.44 Dakota Realty Meet
Feb. 21 2023 Distance Medley Relay (Indoor) 10:25.67 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship
Sept. 2 2022 5K (XC) 16:42.0 Mississippi College The Opener
Sept. 18 2021 4 Miles (XC) 21:20.4 Louisiana Tech Mook 4 Invitational
Sept. 17 2022 7K (XC) 22:21.0 ULM Warhawk Invitational
Oct. 15 2022 8K (XC) 26:18.1 Arturo Barrios Invitational
 
2023 OUTDOOR (JUNIOR)
Competed in seven outdoor meets … Finished 10th in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 9:40.17 at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 12) … Won the 3000 steeplechase in 9:38.83 at the Warhawk Classic (April 22).
 
2023 INDOOR (JUNIOR)
Competed in three indoor meets … Finished fifth in the distance medley relay in 10:25.67, 19th in the mile in 4:34.96 and 24th in the 3000 meters in 9:13.86 at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 20-21).
 
2022 CROSS COUNTRY (JUNIOR)
Competed in four meets in the fall of 2022 … Took 17th and set a personal best in the 5K in 16:42.0 in Mississippi College’s The Opener (Sept. 2) … Placed fifth in a personal-best time of 22:21.0 in the 7K at the ULM Warhawk Invitational (Sept. 17) … Set a personal-best time of 26:18.1 in the 8K at the Arturo Barrios Invitational (Oct. 15) … Wrapped up the season by placing 44th in the 8K in 27:13.3 at the Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships (Oct. 28).

2022 OUTDOOR (SOPHOMORE)
Competed in six outdoor meets … Finished fifth in the 1500 in 4:00.91 at the Louisiana Classic (March 19) … Placed seventh in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 9:50.99 at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational (March 24) … Won the 3000 meters in 9:36.65 and was third in the 1500 in 4:02.91 at the Warhawk Classic (April 22-23) … Won both the 3000 in 9:05.10 and the 1500 in 3:59.68 at the Mississippi State Maroon and White Invitational (April 29-30) … Closed the season at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championship (May 12-14), placing seventh in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 9:33.90 and 10th in the 1500 in 4:01.02.

2022 INDOOR (SOPHOMORE-2)
Competed in four indoor meets … Placed seventh in the mile in 4:24.79 and ninth in the 4x400 meter relay in 3:25.29 at the Ted Nelson Invitational (Jan. 14) … Placed third in the distance medley relay in 10:08.54 and set a personal best in the mile at 4:20.12 at the Vanderbilt Invitational (Jan. 21-22) … Posted a season-best time of 1:55.39 in the 800 to place sixth at the Samford Bulldog Open (Feb. 12) … Completed the indoor season by placing fourth in the distance medley relay in 10:09.67, 12th in the 800 in 1:55.49 and 12th in the 3000 in a personal-best time of 8:38.89 at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship.

2021 CROSS COUNTRY (SOPHOMORE-2)
Competed in four meets … Set a personal-best in the four miles in 21:20.4 to place sixth at the Louisiana Tech Mook 4 Invitational (Sept. 18) … Posted a new personal-best in the 8K at the Sun Belt Conference Championship (Oct. 29) in 26:25.5, placing 30th.

ORAL ROBERTS
Competed in indoor and outdoor track at Oral Roberts in the spring of 2021…Set a personal-best in the 3000 meters in 8:59.59 at the Dakota Realty Meet (Jan. 23)…Won the 800 at the Wichita State Shocker Invitational in 1:56.88…Set a personal-best in the 1500 in 3:57.20 at the John McDonnell Invitational (April 24)…Competed in the Summit League Outdoor Championships, setting a personal-record in the 800 in 1:54.78 to place 10th and was 12th in the 1500 in 3:59.03 (May 13).
 
NORTHERN COLORADO
Competed in two indoor meets as a freshman at Northern Colorado in the spring of 2020 before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic…Set a season-best time of 1:54.85 in the 800 meters at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (Feb. 8).

LIEPAJA STATE 1ST GYMNASIUM
Graduated from Liepaja State 1st Gymnasium in 2019.
 
INTERNATIONAL
Competed at European U23 championships in Sweden in 2019 … Competed in 2019 European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon, Portugal … Competed in European Team Championships Second League in 2019.
 
PERSONAL
Born Feb. 5, 2000, in Liepaja, Latvia … Son of Janis and Evita … Enjoys reading and basketball … Majoring in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports management.

Historical Player Information

  • 2021Sophomore

  • 2022Junior

  • 2023Senior

  • 2024Fifth Year