Ben Hilgart enters his fourth season at New Mexico and second as the Director of Athletic Performance for the school after spending four seasons (2008-11) as Head Sports Performance Coach at Arizona State University. Hilgart worked directly with the Sun Devils football program, in addition to overseeing the sports performance programs for all 20 ASU sports.
With New Mexico he directs the entire Athletic Performance initiative for the Lobos, which includes all phases of strength, conditioning, rehabilitation and injury prevention.
Last year Hilgart was able to redesign the Athletic Performance Center, revamping UNM’s area into one of the top performance centers in the west. Along with a variety of weight machines, cardio machines and a full array of free weights are modern offices, an outdoor training area and a 40-yard indoor turf track which can be utilized for various speed and agility drills.
He spent the prior three seasons (2005-07) as the Senior Assistant Sports Performance Coach at ASU. Hilgart served as the lead assistant to the football team, in addition to managing all facets of the sports performance programs for the men’s and women’s track and field and wrestling teams. During that three-year span, the Sun Devils track and field teams won a combined four national titles in indoor and outdoor competition.
Before arriving at ASU, Hilgart spent two seasons at Ohio State University in Columbus. He started as the assistant strength and conditioning coach before being promoted to associate strength and conditioning coach. Hilgart also spent two years at UTEP as the graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach. He served as the head strength coach and assistant defensive line coach at his alma mater, Western Illinois, in 2001.
Hilgart was a two-year letterman at Western Illinois, earning his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. He earned his master’s degree in Kinesiology from UTEP in 2003. Hilgart has also served as the head strength coach at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Ariz.
Hilgart and his wife Jamie have two daughters, Riley and Reagan.
The Hilgart File
Hometown: Park Falls, Wis.
Birthdate: Dec. 1, 1976
Family: wife Jamie; daughters Riley and Reagan
Education: B.S., physical education – Western Illinois, 2000; M.S., kinesiology – UTEP, 2003
Playing Experience: Western Illinois 1997-98
Postseason: Division I-AA second round, 1997, Division I-AA semifinals, 1998
Coaching experience:
2013-15 New Mexico (Director of Athletic Performance)
2012 New Mexico (Football Strength and Conditioning Coordinator)
2008-11 Arizona State (Head Sports Performance Coach)
2005-07 Arizona State (Senior Assistant Performance Coach)
2004 Ohio State (Associate Strength and Conditioning Coach)
2003 Ohio State (Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach)
2002-03 UTEP (Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach)
2001 Western Illinois (Assistant Defensive Line/Football Strength and Conditioning)
Bowl games: 2011 Las Vegas Bowl; 2007 Holiday Bowl; 2006 Hawai’i Bowl; 2005 Insight Bowl; 2004 Alamo Bowl; 2004 Fiesta Bowl (’03 season)