Trista Smith was named the Assistant Athletic Director for Sport Operations in the summer of 2025.
Prior to the summer of the 2025, Smith served as a student assistant and graduate assistant for the MSU operations staff while pursuing her bachelor's and master's degrees in sport management.
Smith has assisted at multiple home events during her tenure, including multiple NCAA Tournament events which included women's soccer regionals in 2024 and 2025, a men's basketball regional tournament in 2024 and a women's basketball regional tournament in 2026. She has also assisted several NSIC Tournament/Championship events including track, soccer and volleyball. She also served as a sports operation intern for two seasons.
While at Minnesota State, Smith also managed practice facilities at the 3M Open and volunteered with Big Ten Network in Media Operations in 2023.
Smith earned her bachelor's degree in sport management at Minnesota State in 2024, before receiving her master's degree in 2026. Smith is a native of Franklin, Minn. and graduated from Cedar Mountain High School in 2020.
