Ben Heinze joined the South Dakota State Sports Medicine staff as an assistant athletic trainer in 2003, and worked in that role until accepting the assistant athletic director for sports medicine position in August of 2015. In his role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the sports medicine staff in both the HPER Center and Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center.

As an assistant athletic trainer from 2003-15, Heinze worked in a number of difference roles and worked directly with the Jackrabbit women's basketball and football teams before making the move to soccer in 2011.

A La Crescent, Minn., native, Heinze earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science from Winona State University (Minn.) in 1998, and then moved on to SDSU where he added a master's degree in Sports Science in 2000.

After completing his master's degree, Heinze spent two and a half years as the head athletic trainer at Franklin College in Franklin, Ind., and worked at an athletic training clinic. He returned to South Dakota State during the 2003-04 academic year, working primarily with the Jackrabbit women's basketball program.

Along with experience with women’s basketball, Heinze worked closely with the SDSU football team and oversaw the sports medicine facilities at the Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center before working with soccer.

Heinze lives in Brookings with his wife, Tara, son Andrew and daughter Emily.