Engineering students from Missouri S&T finished strong in the recent Intercollegiate Mining Competition in Rolla. As the host university, Missouri S&T welcomed student teams from across the United States and around the world as they competed in events based on mining techniques from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Missouri S&T women’s team placed first overall, with first-place finishes in track stand, jackleg drill, hand steel, hand mucking, surveying and Swede saw. The women placed second in gold panning.

Two men’s teams represented Missouri S&T. The Limestone Cowboys finished second overall with a first-place finish in track stand and second place finishes in jackleg drill, Swede saw and surveying. The A Team placed fifth overall after winning first place in surveying and second place in track stand.

S&T’s co-ed team, the Boom Nerds, placed seventh overall.

The following competitors represented Missouri S&T:

The A Team men’s team

• Garrett Bell, a junior in mining engineering from Loogootee, Indiana
• John Ehart, a senior in mining engineering from Ballwin, Missouri
• Seth Evans, a senior in mechanical engineering from Rolla, Missouri
• Nicolas Sanchez, a senior in mining engineering from Quito, Ecuador
• Brett Winterberg, a senior in explosives engineering from Lavale, Maryland.

Boom Nerds co-ed team

• Sean Bailey, a freshman in civil engineering from Jefferson City, Missouri 
• Everett Baker, a graduate student in explosives engineering from Bedford, New Hampshire
• Rachel Bauer, a graduate student in explosives engineering from St. Marys, Pennsylvania
• Emily Johnson, a graduate student in explosives engineering from Fenton, Missouri 
• Frank Schott, a senior in explosives engineering from Salem, Missouri
• Cody Thomas, a graduate student in explosives engineering from Rolla, Missouri.

Limestone Cowboys men’s team

• Chase Acton, a junior in mining engineering from Kansas City, Missouri
• Nicolo Bortolotti-Aschenbrenner, a freshman in mining engineering from Eagle River, Wisconsin
• Ed Christian, a senior in mining engineering from Lake Saint Louis, Missouri
• Jacob Lenz, a senior in civil engineering from Prairie Home, Missouri
• Ryan Sibley, a senior in explosives engineering from Black, Missouri
• Alex Wolff, a senior in mining engineering from St. Louis.

The Rockstars women’s team

• Natalie Benson, a senior in mining engineering from Hoffman Estates, Illinois
• Hannah Hill, a senior in mining engineering from Wentzville, Missouri
• Katherine Johnson, a junior in mining engineering from St. Charles, Missouri  
• Julia Walker, a senior in mining engineering from Cape Girardeau, Missouri  
• Melodie Wilcox, a senior in mining engineering from New Madrid, Missouri.

S&T’s teams competed against rivals from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, Montana Technological University in Butte, Colorado School of Mines in Golden, the University of Arizona in Tucson, the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering at the University of Nevada in Reno, Camborne School of Mines in Penryn, England, and Western Australia School of Mines in Kalgoorlie, Australia.

First held in 1978, the games were created to honor 91 miners who died in a fire at Idaho’s Sunshine Mine in 1972. The competition celebrates traditional mining practices and helps create a global community of mining students. Mining colleges and universities around the world rotate hosting the Intercollegiate Mining Competition.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,200 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. S&T also is home to the Kummer Institute, made possible by a $300 million gift from Fred and June Kummer. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu/.