Scoreboard
Oredigger Football Sings "Dixie" Once Again
For the second consecutive season, the Colorado School of Mines football team accepted an invitation to play in the Dixie Rotary Bowl on December 6, 2008, at Hansen Stadium on the campus of Dixie State College in St. George, UT. The Orediggers squared off against Western Washington University in the 23rd Annual Dixie Rotary Bowl, which was broadcast live on the Altitude Network.

The top schools from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference that did not qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs received invitations to St. George. The Dixie Rotary Bowl, which began inviting NCAA Division II schools in 2006, is one of two sanctioned NCAA Division II bowl games.

“We were very excited about our opportunity to once again compete in the Dixie Rotary Bowl,” said Mines head football coach Bob Stitt, who just completed his ninth season at the school. “We were proud to represent the RMAC and truly enjoyed the opportunity to travel to St. George.” A win would have been a fitting end to a successful season, but after Mines gained a 10-0 lead early in the game, Washington came back to equalize shortly before the end of the second quarter, and then went on to score 15 unanswered points in the second half of the game.

The Orediggers went 7-2 in the RMAC and secured their seventh winning season in the past eight years. Mines’ trip to the 2008 Dixie Rotary Bowl marked the fourth time in program history that Mines has competed in a bowl game. Prior to playing in the 2007 Dixie Rotary Bowl, the Orediggers played in the Aztec Bowl in 1979 and again in 1989. The 2008 Dixie Rotary Bowl also marked the third time in five years that Mines had qualified for post-season play. Mines qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in program history in 2004.


Mines Ranked Fourth in Collegiate Power Rankings

In August 2008, Colorado School of Mines was ranked fourth in the National Collegiate Scouting Association’s sixth annual NCAA Division II Power Rankings. Collegiate Power Rankings rate colleges and universities based on student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength and athletic success. Colorado School of Mines, which was the highest-ranked Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference institution, also placed 96th in the NCSA’s overall collegiate rankings, which includes NCAA Division I, II and III schools.

NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings are calculated by combining U.S. News & World Report ranking, U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup ranking and NCAA student-athlete graduation rates for each college or university. The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup rating evaluates the strength of NCAA athletic departments while the U.S. News & World Report rating focuses on academic excellence. The student-athlete graduation rates are based on those provided by the NCAA.


Mitchell Named RMAC’s Soccer Academic Player of the Year

Mines’ Kayla Mitchell was selected as the 2008 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Academic Player of the Year. The honor marks the second consecutive year that a student-athlete from one of the Oredigger soccer teams has garnered such recognition—Craig Thompson was named RMAC Men’s Soccer Academic Player of the Year.

Mitchell was also a unanimous First Academic All-RMAC selection, a First Team All-RMAC soccer pick, and she earned All-RMAC Tournament and Daktronics First Team All-Central Region accolades. In 2007, Mitchell brought home First Team All-RMAC and First Team Academic All-RMAC honors, and in 2006 she won Second Team All-RMAC laurels.


Oredigger News & Notes...

The Mines Cycling Team took second place at the NCCA Division II MTB National Championship Team Omnium in Banner Elk, NC, after being narrowly beaten by a strong Appalachian State Team. The Mines Cycling Team is currently tied for number one with Colorado College for the NCCA Division II Team Rankings. Mines looks to consolidate its hold at the upcoming NCCA Cyclocross Nationals in Kansas City, KS, on December 14.

Five Mines soccer players earned Daktronics All-Central Region honors last fall. Jeff Nelson, Cameron Brown and Ted Decker earned recognition for the Oredigger men, while Kayla Mitchell and Corinne Johnson garnered honors for the women.

In October 2008, Art Siemers, track and field, and cross country coach won the 17th annual Peak Performance Maine Marathon in Portland, ME, with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes. Siemers was also selected Outstanding Athletics Department Faculty Member by both May and December 2008 graduates.

Volleyball’s Kaity Edmiston earned ESPN The Magazine Third Team Academic All-District honors this fall.

For complete schedules, rosters, results and statistics, please visit the Colorado School of Mines Athletics web site.