HACKENSACK, N.J. – Fairleigh Dickinson sophomore Teodors Pukse and the men's tennis team won its 13th NEC Championship in program history on Sunday, April 18 with a thrilling 4-3 win over St. Francis Brooklyn.

Pukse, a sophomore from Riga, Latvia, was named to the NEC Tournament Team and was the Tournament MVP after posting a 3-0 combined record in FDU's victories against Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis Brooklyn.

When asked what winning the NEC Championship meant to him, Pukse stated, "Our tennis team has one goal every year when we start in the Fall and that's to focus on winning the conference. Winning was the greatest feeling I have ever had. I was laying down on the bus ride home, looking at my teammates playing music and all of the smiles on our faces. With five seniors, I saw a few seniors crying on the bus with pure celebration. I was so happy for them."

FDU fell behind 3-2 in the NEC Championship with Pukse and senior Youssef Sader yet to complete their matches and both needing to win, but Pukse felt he could get the win. "When I knew that Youssef and I needed to win, I pushed myself extra hard to win the third set and I got us the win to tie it at 3-3. After winning my match, I went straight to Youssef's court and was screaming my head out. I had played St. Francis Brooklyn's number one in season and lost, but I was able to scout him and I knew what I needed to focus on. I was in better physical form this time around and the stakes were much higher."

Pukse also had won the doubles point before singles, which proved to be the difference-maker as FDU won 4-3. Pukse and senior Andris Gudins were going back and forth with St. Francis Brooklyn's number one doubles team, but were able to break the serve back in their favor at 5-5, to go up 6-5, and eventually came away with a 7-5 win.

When asked about the main reason why he felt they were able to win the 13th NEC title in program history, Pukse mentioned team chemistry. "Team chemistry was the key part in winning the conference. We were shut down for a little bit during the season, but our team got through it. Andris and I couldn't have a better bond with one another and everyone on our team adapts to the college life. We consider our team a mini-family. We try to maintain strong team chemistry and I would say that we all have a common goal."

The three major keys in Pukse's recruiting process that guided him towards FDU were the business administration program, the relationship he had with Gudins, and the proximity to a large city. Both players knew each other growing up and that made Pukse comfortable with his decision to attend FDU. "I knew I wanted to go to a big city, or close to one. What I knew coming from Latvia was that the U.S. was really big and I looked at west and east coast schools. I have known Andris since we were little kids and knew was at FDU and we talked often. I wanted to have a Latvian teammate and our business school has great professors and opportunities."

Pukse noted some cultural differences between the U.S. and Latvia. "My first experience in the U.S. came when I was 14 playing in Miami. New York looks a little different than anywhere in Latvia and the major difference is that people in the US are more helpful than in Latvia. Growing up, my daily schedule was, I went to school, then practice, then went to bed. Andris is also Latvian, so we are able to have a Latvian dinner. Whenever we miss home, we have a Latvian evening."

Pukse started playing tennis at the age of three and has never looked back. He noted that his mindset and mentality have improved drastically since his arrival to FDU. "My coaches have taught me that following the rules are good for you. If you follow the rules, you will not be penalized. We are not allowed to throw any racquets or swear, which made us focus more on our match. My overall game has improved, you find your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Learning to adapt to different player's games has helped me grow."

In his spare time, Pukse enjoys playing chess to help relax his mind and if there was one tennis player on the planet that he would want to match up against, he would choose professional tennis player Nick Kygrios.

FDU earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will find out who they will go up against on Monday, May 3 at 6:30 p.m. "Our goal is to change history and we expect to win whoever we face in the First Round. I hope to gain great experience from the NCAA Tournament."