The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers are bringing home two sets of metals — and medals — from the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
The men’s team, which won last year’s national title, is now the national runner-up after the Nov. 18 race in Joplin, Missouri. Meanwhile, the women’s team repeated last year’s third-place finish.
The women’s team had the most All-American finishes in program history, with Holly Moser, Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, Clare Peters and Molly Maksin all finishing in the top 40. It’s the Orediggers’ fourth-consecutive podium finish.
Moser placed the best among the Orediggers, running the 6K course in 20:26.3 and finishing 18th overall.
On the other side of the top 40 runners, Mines’ Margaux Basart, Riley McGrath and Grace Strongman placed 50th, 58th and 79th respectively. The Orediggers had a 27-second spread among their four scoring runners, and all seven crossed within a minute of each other.
On the men’s side, the Orediggers scored 79 points, just nine points shy of national champion Wingate. All seven runners finished within 56 seconds of each other.
Want more stories like this? Consider a one-time or monthly recurring gift!
Loic Scomparin was Mines’ first runner in, placing eighth and finishing the 10K in 29:23.9. Duncan Fuehne took 11th; Logan Bocovich, 16th; and Paul Knight, 23rd in 29:58.2. The four received All-American honors for finishing in the top 40.
Rounding out Mines’ roster was John O’Malley, who just missed All-American honors in 41st place; JP Rutledge, a Pittsburg, Kansas native who took 52nd on his former home course; and Andrew Kaye, who finished 71st.
According to Mines Athletics, the men’s team has now finished third or better every year since 2015, and fifth or better every year since 2009.
Both sets of Orediggers now have to hit the ground running for their indoor track & field season, which kicks off in December.
Mines soccer suffers repeat defeat to Colorado Mesa in NCAA tourney
The Colorado School of Mines soccer team got a rematch with conference rival Colorado Mesa, and for the second consecutive Sunday, the Mavericks took down the Orediggers on their home pitch, winning 1-0.
The two faced off in the Nov. 12 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title game, with Colorado Mesa winning 3-0. Both teams were placed in the same region for the NCAA Division II tournament, where Mines had a first-round bye while Colorado Mesa took down No. 6 seed Texas Woman’s 1-0.
With elimination on the line, the No. 2 seed Orediggers hosted the No. 3 seed Mavericks for the Nov. 19 second-round game. After a scoreless regulation period, the teams played two 10-minute overtime periods.
Mines had several good looks and near-misses throughout the game, including in both overtime periods, but none connected. Late in the second overtime, Mines had had a shot-on-goal attempt, but Colorado Mesa ultimately took advantage of the situation.
“Colorado Mesa was able to finally get behind the Mines defense in the 107th minute, as Adessa Correa went on a run and played a ball to Sauvelyne Randel, who played a shot to the right post … for the go-ahead score,” the Mines Athletics postgame recap described.
The teams played out the final three minutes, but the Orediggers couldn’t score a tying goal. Mines still outshot Colorado Mesa, though, 29-6 overall and 7-2 in shots on goal.
The Orediggers’ season ends with a 15-4-3 overall record. While it wasn’t the way the seven departing seniors hoped to close out their collegiate soccer careers, they leave with several team and personal accomplishments under their belts, including RMAC titles and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
Click through additional photos from the Nov. 19 game here:
Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wiest and Mines Athletics 
Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wiest and Mines Athletics 
Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wiest and Mines Athletics 
Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wiest and Mines Athletics 
Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wiest and Mines Athletics 
Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wiest and Mines Athletics