Leistner is starting his second season with SGSC and beginning his first year as the head swim coach. He swam collegiately at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY from 2008-2012. Leistner was an NAIA national finisher in the 1650 Freestyle, 200 Fly, 800 Free Relay, and 200 Free Relay, and held a team record with the 200 Free Relay.
After graduating from UC Leistner started his coaching career as the assistant coach and the lead recruiting coordinator at UC from 2012-2014. During this time he helped lead UC to become Mid-South Conference Champs both years, coached an NAIA National Champion, brought the women's team highest finish 3rd in the nation and Men's team highest finish 5th in the nation.
From 2014-2015 Leistner assisted coaching two highs schools from his home town in Ashland, KY. Following this brief stint of high school coaching Leistner made his way back to the college coaching stage as the assistant swim coach at the NCAA-D3 school, Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. During this time, Leistner unknowingly coached a future member of the US National Paralympic Swim Team.
Leistner took his first head coaching job at Bakersfield Aquatics Club from 2015-16 where he brought the team to 5th at the Central California Swimming LSC long course championship and 3rd at CCS LSC short course championship. 2 All Valley Swimmers, 3 Sectional Qualifiers, 1 Futures Qualifier, and 1 Junior National Qualifier.
Leistner moved back to his home town to assist with his swim club, the Ashland Area YMCA Barracudas in Ashland, KY, from 2016-2017. In the short year that Leistner assisted, the team finished 3rd at the KYSCL Championships, produced 3 YMCA National Qualifiers, 1 Futures Qualifier, and 1 Jr. National Qualifier.
This past year Leistner came on board to SGSC and served as the Assistant Swim Coach at South Georgia State College in Douglas, Georgia and Lead Coach for the Distance Group 2018-19. The year ended with 7 school records broken, two 2nd place finishes for both men and women in the Sun Coast Conference, a National Runner-Up finish for the women’s team, and finishing 4th in the nation with the men.
