VERMILLION, S.D. – University of South Dakota Director of Athletics Jon Schemmel is excited to announce the hiring of Ben LeCompte as the new Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Revenue Officer for USD Athletics. LeCompte will be housed under the USD Foundation but will work primarily with Athletics in his new role.        
 
"We are excited to welcome Ben to the Coyote family and add him to our athletic leadership team here in Vermillion," said Schemmel.  "We continue to talk about "winning with our people" and Ben is someone we are confident will be an excellent addition to our culture. He has excelled at every stop in his professional career, and we have no doubt he will do the same leading our development program and other revenue generation initiatives. We look forward to getting Ben and his family here."
 
LeCompte comes to USD from Kansas State where he was promoted to Director of Development for Wildcat Athletics in 2023. At K-State he worked on multiple areas of development, including annual fundraising, endowments, legacy, and stock gifts. He assisted the K-State football program in closing a gift for their "Hydration Project" and managed a portfolio of over 150 donors, the majority being in the Ahearn Funds "National Leadership Circle" giving society. In his first year at K-State, serving as Associate Director of Development, he closed the year with over a million dollars raised which led to his promotion to Director.
 
Before arriving at K-State in 2022, LeCompte spent six years with WEX (formally known as Discovery Benefits) first as a Sales Director and then as a Regional Sales Director. During his time at WEX he regularly eclipsed a million dollars of sales revenue and lead the organization in HSA accounts sold in 2021.
 
Lecompte is a graduate of North Dakota State University where he was a member of the football team, competing as a punter from 2011 to 2015. Lecompte won the 2015 Missouri Valley Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award.  He was also named to the MVFC Honor Roll in 2013, 2014 and 2015.  He was a two-time all-American and was twice voted FCS Punter/Special Teams player of the year. Lecompte won five National Championships playing for NDSU.  After his college career he enjoyed a short stint in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. 
 
"My family and I are beyond excited to join the team at The University of South Dakota," said LeCompte.  "I'm extremely appreciative of Jon Schemmel and the leadership of Coyote Athletics for this unbelievable opportunity. The future of USD Athletics is bright, and I cannot wait to do all I can to help our student-athletes reach their full potential. Go Yotes!"

The Vermillion community will welcome LeCompte, his wife Katie, daughter Rylynn, and son Benji when he officially starts at USD in March.