Stryder Blackburn

Biography

Stryder Blackburn is in his sixth season at Kansas after joining the strength and conditioning staff in October of 2020. As a member of Kansas Team Health for Kansas Athletics, Blackburn serves as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for women’s basketball, overseeing all aspects of strength training, speed and agility, and energy system development for the Jayhawks. In his time at KU, the women's basketball team has made three postseason appearances, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024, while also winning the WNIT in 2023. Prior to Kansas, Blackburn worked as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas from 2018-2020. At Newman, he was solely responsible for the strength and conditioning development for all 14 of Newman’s NCAA DII athletic programs as well as overseeing the startup and implementation of the internship program. Upon his arrival to Newman, Blackburn designed immediate facility upgrades for an improved training space for all of Newman’s student-athletes. Blackburn holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS) and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (SCCC). In addition, he is also certified as a Level 1 Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting and a Level 1 Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition. Blackburn is a native of Mulvane, Kansas and earned two degrees from Wichita State University – a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science and a Master