Legends return, titles stay

Mines women’s track and field wins third straight RMAC title

Mines women’s track and field secured its third straight RMAC Indoor Championship this spring, clinching the title in a nail-biting finish.

The title came down to the final event—the women’s 4×400 relay. The Orediggers needed to place sixth or better to secure the championship. Mines runners Maya Evans, Avary Catchings, Allison Comer and Avery Wright finished the relay in 3:54.25 and secured a third-place finish.

Overall, Mines scored 140.5 points at the conference meeting, narrowly defeating the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which finished with 131.5 points.

Wright was named Athlete of the Meet for her standout all-around performance, which included gold in the pentathlon, silver in the 60m hurdles, sixth place in the shot put and anchoring the 4×400 relay to bronze. Margaux Basart earned the RMAC Summit Award for the highest GPA among championship competitors.

For field events, Jennifer Janagin earned gold in the weight throw and Kitt Rupar took bronze in the shot put.

On the men’s side, the 4×400 squad tied UCCS for silver in a dead heat finish. The men’s team scored a total of 160 points to finish second with five first-place finishers, including Everett Delate for the 60-meter hurdles; Nick Stade for the heptathlon; Jonah Fallon for the 400-meter race; Tim Thompson for the 800-meter race; and Loic Scomparin for the 3K race.

It was a true team effort across the board with standout performances that pushed Mines to another championship season. 

Bob Stitt returns as head football coach

Bob Stitt, who put the Mines football program on the national map in the early 2000s and led the Orediggers to new heights, will return as the program’s head coach.

“I am excited to welcome Bob Stitt back as the head football coach at Colorado School of Mines,” said Director of Athletics David Hansburg. “Coach Stitt has proven he can win at Mines, and he has a tremendous ability to coach and develop players. His success with limited resources during his first tenure with the Orediggers gives me confidence he can help us win a national championship with our program where it is today.”

“My family and I are thrilled to be back at Mines and for me to once again lead the Oredigger football program,” Stitt said. “I cannot thank David Hansburg and President Johnson enough for giving me the opportunity to return to the place that I love, that gave me my start as a head coach and where my family considers home.”

First arriving in Golden in 2000, Stitt compiled a record of 108-62 during his 15 seasons at Mines, and he is the program’s all-time leader in wins. In 2004, the Orediggers won their first RMAC title in 46 years and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA championship berth and postseason win. Stitt would go on to lead Mines to conference titles and NCAA appearances again in 2010 and 2014. Stitt was the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2010 and the AFCA regional coach of the year in 2004. He coached 16 All-Americans, 31 All-Region selections and 129 all-RMAC performers, along with 2004 Harlon Hill Trophy winner Chad Friedhauf and 2010 finalist Clay Garcia, during his 15 seasons. Stitt was inducted into the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.

“There is no doubt in my mind this is the best job in Division II football, and I take the responsibility of maintaining the football excellence that has been established here very seriously,”

Stitt said. “Our staff will work diligently to put our players in a position to win championships at the highest level each and every season.”

Stitt’s first tenure put Mines on a path to success that it still enjoys today. Prior to his hiring, Mines had only one winning season in the previous two decades; since 2007, Mines has had 17 consecutive winning seasons, including seven or more wins each year since 2013. Stitt developed a national reputation as an offensive innovator while at Mines, and his teams set virtually every program offensive record including many that still stand.