Reviewing the winter season and welcoming a new Oredigger
A new member of the family
Mines introduced the newest member of the Oredigger family at the annual Rock the Lock basketball games on Feb. 16, 2018. Mines welcomed a new mascot, Blaster, to join Marvin the Miner as a new figure of Oredigger athletics.
Of course, the “real” Blaster the Burro has been a beloved part of the Mines family since the 1950s and will continue to be a mainstay at football games and many other campus events. But there are many indoor spaces on campus that aren’t as burro-friendly—like basketball courts—and the introduction of the new mascot will help bring Blaster’s spirit and determination to more fans than ever before.
GARNIER NAMED COLORADO SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Mines women’s soccer senior Emily Garnier made history in February when she became the first Oredigger in any sport to be twice named a Colorado Sportswoman of the Year. Garnier earned the award for 2016 and 2017 as she finished a tremendous career for Mines as a three-time All-American and three-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. In fall 2017, Garnier led the nation with 15 assists and helped lead Mines to the NCAA Tournament. She was honored by the Sportswomen of Colorado Foundation in March, along with winners from 56 other sports around the state.
History made at Steinhauer Fieldhouse
For the first time since 2010, the best conference meet in NCAA Division II was hosted by Mines as the 2018 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships descended on Steinhauer Fieldhouse on Feb. 23-24, 2018.
In a memorable weekend, the Mines men won the conference championship at home for the first time, capturing their second RMAC indoor title in three years in front of a raucous crowd.
“We’re proud of being able to pull it off as an institution,” said Matt Sparks, Mines’ head track & field coach, about the meet, which managed to pack more than 500 fans and 52 events inside one of the nation’s oldest fieldhouses. “We try to take a lot of pride in competing well here [at Steinhauer Fieldhouse].”
The result was a dominant performance by the Mines men, who won by a 61-point margin over the University of Colorado Colorado Springs with 151.5 team points. It was highlighted by a podium sweep of the men’s heptathlon with Austin Smith, Chase McLean and Hayden Sather taking the top three spots, while Triston Sisneros added a gold medal in the 60-meter hurdles and broke the 19-year-old school record in 8.01 seconds.
The women’s team had plenty of success as well, finishing tied for fifth behind Courtney Clark’s championship in the shot put, Gina Coleman’s shot put bronze and three of the top six spots in the mile thanks to Molly Reicher, Brook Eberle and Chloe Cook.
The RMAC meet was also a tune-up for the NCAA Championships, where the men finished 11th in the nation and the two teams combined for 16 first- and second-team All-America honors. Connor McLean led the way with a national runner-up spot in the pole vault, and the Mines men had seven other individuals—Mason Brevig, Miller Kettle, Austin Smith and Patrick Weaver in the distance medley relay, Grant Colligan, Josh Hoskinson and Nick Sevcik in the 5,000-meter run, and Weaver in the 800-meter run—earn first-team All-American honors. For the women, Chloe Cook and Molly Reicher were All-Americans in the mile, finishing fourth and eighth, respectively.
For more on Mines athletics, visit minesathletics.com.