(Editor's Note: This is part of a series of stories of the RUDY Award finalists. Two winners – one male and one female – will be announced at the conclusion of the end of the R.UD.Y.S. Awards Banquet on Monday.
R.U.D.Y.S. stands for Recognition and celebration of University of Dayton student-athletes Year-end Showcase. It is hosted by the UD Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Dayton Athletics administration for the student-athletes to recognize individuals and teams for their accomplishments this past year.
These stories were written by students in Dr. Haozho Pu's HS 353 Sports Media class.)
Written by Lauryn Rendzikowski, Mary Yablonski, Gianna Leonardo, and Eamonn Murray
University of Dayton senior student-athlete
Owen Pukys has built his collegiate career through discipline, consistency and a strong commitment to both academics and athletics. A native of Louisville, Ohio, Pukys attended Louisville High School, where he first developed the competitive mindset that would carry him to the Division I level. Now majoring in computer science, Pukys has balanced the demands of a rigorous academic program while competing as a member of Dayton's cross country and track teams. Over the course of his time as a Flyer, he has continued to grow not only as an athlete but as a student and teammate shaped by the program's culture and expectations. His journey reflects a dedication to continuous improvement, setting the foundation for both his athletic and professional future.
Pukys has been a very accomplished runner throughout his time as a Flyer. During his sophomore year, he was R.U.D.Y.S. "Rising Star" Award Winner. Even though he was injured his junior year, he made up for it with all of his accomplishments senior year. He was named Atlantic 10 All-Academic, he was named CollegeAdvantage Student-Athlete of the Week on November 5th, and he achieved personal records this season. Owen left a lasting legacy by breaking the school record in the 8K, which added to Owen's impressive resume here at Dayton.
When we asked Pukys what his plans were following his graduation in May, he shared with us that his running journey does not end, as he will be getting his MBA and running at Duke University following his graduation from Dayton this May. Although his junior season is often described as an "injury setback," Pukys revealed it was actually a serious illness that sidelined him for nearly an entire year. The experience forced him to step away from running and completely shift his perspective. "Those were certainly some of the worst days of my life," he said, reflecting on the time he spent recovering. After not returning to full-time training until April 2025, Pukys leaned heavily on the support system around him and gained a deeper appreciation for life beyond athletics. The adversity ultimately reshaped his mindset, teaching him that his identity extended far beyond the sport. When he returned to the competition, he carried that renewed perspective with him, proving his success was not just a result of physical ability but also resilience, gratitude and mental strength.
Outside of his athletic endeavors, Owen enjoys playing pickleball and spending time at the lake with his friends and family. He is also an avid Cleveland sports fan.
Q: How would you describe yourself as an athlete in 3 words?
A: Consistent, progressive, and grateful.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a Flyer?
A: To be a Flyer and to be a part of the organization that we have here with all of our athletes, even outside of our team, there's a good deal of integrity that comes with that. I like to think that we can excel in our own sports and our own different fields, and that's just on the athletic side of it. What I think separates being a Flyer from just any other program is the people that we become through it. I think that we have a fantastic culture just in and around the facility, and within other teams that just makes us better versions of ourselves, and as a whole creates good decision makers and great friends. You can typically lean on most people in athletics, even in and outside of your team, to lend a helping hand or provide you with resources, whether it's athletic help, mental health assistance, or just coursework, classes, or any of that. There's a great deal of camaraderie within the Flyer community, and I take a lot of pride in that. It's something I'm very grateful for.
Q: What is one of the most influential moments in your career as an athlete at UD?
A: I believe it would have been my third race of the fall 2025 season, when I had broken the school record at Louisville. There was a race down there, and that was very significant to me. Sometimes you like to think that you don't need to actually stare at the clock to understand if you had a good race. Typically, you can just tell, and that was one specifically where I didn't need to see the time to know that I had a good race. That speaks to a lot of what that season is built up to, everything in the summer, you know? I'm certainly not defined by those 23 minutes and 50 seconds of running, but rather the months that were leading up to that that made me the runner who could go out and do it in that instance. A few weeks after that was the A-10 Championships, where I'd ran pretty well there as well and I had received my first all-conference, first-team position. And, again, it's never about those 5 miles of running that we do in the races, more so it's just about everything that's built up to that point. That whole process is what makes me so proud; that's very influential because it's allowed me to just acquire more confidence and be happier with who I am, and proud of everything that's occurred up to this point. So, those two instances, the race at Louisville and then the A-10 Conference Championships were two that stand out to me.
Q: How has being a student-athlete contributed to your personal growth and development?
A: Yeah, like I said in that previous question, it's far more than just the athletics growth that you see in yourself in 4 years. I do think that personal growth is just as important. That question's kind of funny because we have a segment that we do every week, it's called Personal Growth Weekly. It's a meeting that we have with our entire team where we talk about things outside of running, and that's where I've sort of seen the most development in myself. Early in my career I used to be very goal-oriented, very concerned about what my watch was saying or what the clock was, or what place I was, but, as I progressed through and with the help of the coaching staff and the people around me, that's turned from goal-oriented to process-oriented, which I think is much more rewarding because it doesn't come down to just one day, it comes down to the entire season and the entire year. In my case, the whole career is something that I'm very proud of. In that aspect, a lot of my growth has come in my mindset. Physically, I've pretty much been the same the whole way, but as far as the mindset, that's probably been the most growth that I've seen.
