Updated: June 11, 2025
Jacob Rister joined the UNA staff in 2024 and enters his second season leading the strength and conditioning efforts for the men's basketball program.
Rister was a key factor in the program's success in 2024-25, helping the Lions win the school's first ASUN Regular Season Championship in any sport. The Lions finished 24-11 overall and 14-4 in conference play, tying with Lipscomb for the regular season championship. UNA went on to win two games in the ASUN Tournament, falling in the ASUN Championship Game. The Lions went on to receive a bid in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) for the first time in school history.
Prior to UNA, Rister was a graduate assistant at the University of North Dakota, assisting the football program while independently handling the strength and conditioning efforts for the tennis, golf and spirit squad programs. He also interned at Murray High School while in North Dakota.
Rister was an understudy of former UNA football standout Brian Puckett, who is now a well-known name in college athletics in the strength and conditioning realm. Rister started his career with Puckett at Murray State in May 2021, then followed Puckett to LSU to assist with the men's basketball summer training program. Rister later returned to Murray, Kentucky in August 2022 to intern at Calloway County High School.
Rister graduated from Murray State in May 2023. He is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
