RAPID CITY, S.D. --- Mike Vander Heyden has been tapped to serve as the South Dakota Mines varsity esports Coordinator for the 2020-2021 school year.
 
"I am extremely excited to be taking on the position, as it gives me an opportunity to continue to work with the student-athletes that I have already cultivated relationships with and can continue to push them to achieve more on their respective teams," Vander Heyden said.
 
Named as the interim coordinator in February, the title has been removed starting with the fall semester, with Vander Heyden already seeing success on both the competitive side as the program enters its third year and takes a large contributing role on the club side.
 
"My goals for the program are to be more competitive by qualifying for each national championship, increase awareness about the esports program on campus and in the community, and grow the fundraising initiatives to provide the student-athletes with the best possible experiences."
 
The varsity program will consist of five teams competing in: League of Legends, Fortnite, Rocket League, Overwatch and DOTA 2.
 
"I am currently in the process of evaluating the rosters and number of games to be played this coming year and is looking forward to growing the program," Vander Heyden added.
 
Teams will primarily compete in TESPA, Rocket League Championship Series, and the Collegiate Star League but also in smaller collegiate tournaments and leagues to help round out schedules and give teams plenty of opportunities to compete.
 
The South Dakota Mines esports program has the largest community on campus and in South Dakota; as well as one of the largest in the Midwest, which is focused on both competitive and casual gaming with opportunities to join teams that compete in collegiate tournaments or take part in Local Area Network (LAN) events that bring all varieties of gamers together.
 
Students develop professional attributes that will be used in their careers, such as emotional intelligence, team work, and communication, and are responsible for hosting the Grubby Games, a large area tournament that brings together gamers from not only the campus but other schools to compete.
 
Vander Heyden takes over a program that has plenty of history including being the first in the state to give esports scholarships. The program also finished the 2020 spring semester with a strong 3.52 GPA and a cumulative 3.244 GPA for the year.  Vander Heyden also serves as the Director of the Wellness Center
 
The Hardrockers will be looking to add new talent going into the 2020-2021 school year and can be found at www.gorockers.com/sports/esports, and broadcasting live at  https://www.twitch.tv/sdsmt_esports.
 
Vander Heyden has spent the last two years as the Wellness Center Coordinator. He came to South Dakota Mines from Albion College in Albion, MI. His areas of expertise include NCAA facilities management, athletic administration, event operations, budget supervision, intramural sports, recreation and wellness programming, among many others.
 
With a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a Master of Arts in Recreation and Sports management, Vander Heyden has proven to be the best fit for the position.
 
Vander Heyden began working in Athletics Facilities in 2005 as a Graduate Assistant. During his time there he oversaw game day operations and served as the on-site supervisor for all varsity athletic events, competitions and special events. This included the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship and the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts Training Camp.
 
In 2007 Vander Heyden served as the Coordinator in Recreation and Wellness at Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL. Here he was a member of the inaugural transition team that brought NAIA athletics to Roosevelt University. He assisted in providing guidance in logistics, facility needs, game day operations, and recreation and wellness programming. He also created the recreation and wellness programs that met the specific needs of a diverse metropolitan student population, consisting of non-traditional students, commuters, performing arts conservatory, undergraduate and graduate students.
 
In 2011 Vander Heyden became the Director of Intramurals and Recreation at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, IL. He assumed the role of Interim Athletic Director overseeing day to day operations, department budget, and personnel turnover and hiring process. He also overhauled the IIT Intramurals and Recreation program to reflect the needs of the international and domestic student body which increased participation by 60%. By accomplishing this, Vander Heyden worked on a marketing rebrand which included new leagues such as Cricket, and new fitness classes such as Yoga, Salsa and Zumba.
 
During his time at IIT, Heyden also instituted the IIT Fan Day Experience and improved game day marketing and operations for home athletic events. This included the implementation of live streaming, courtside "fan of the game" seating, and game day promotions and swag, which all led to an increase in game day attendance.
 
At Albion College, Heyden held the title Director of the Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. Since 2014 he has been with the college enhancing the long-term fitness equipment maintenance process by establishing a partnership with All Pro Fitness, He also developed a successful working relationship and eliminated past tensions with custodial services which resulted in the correction of significant problems that had been previously overlooked.
 
Vander Heyden also served as project manager at Albion for the newly established Washington Gardner Fitness Center involving alumni donations totaling over $100,000, redesigned the student worker program by restructuring procedures which led to decreasing the turnover rate by 65%, and established the newly created facilities management position by creating sustainable policies and procedures for day to day operations.