Montana Tech Mining Team to compete in 47th International Collegiate Mining Competition
Montana Technological University’s Mining Team will travel to the University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines for the 47th International Collegiate Mining Competition to be held at the King Edward Mine Museum in Camborne, England from March 19-22, 2025.
Montana Tech stands alone, having participated in all 47 competitions since the event’s founding. This year, Montana Tech fielded five teams—two men’s teams, two women’s teams, and a co-ed team, with a total of 30 competitors, evenly split between men and women.
“This is the first time in a while that we're able to bring two women's teams,” Mining Team President Marshall Cornwall said. “Our teams did great last year, but I think we are more ready, more prepared for events this year.”
The competition consists of seven events demonstrating traditional mining skills: survey, gold pan, swede saw, track stand, mucking, hand steel, and jackleg drilling. Teams consist of six members, and each event includes 2-5 of those students competing. Generally, events are judged on time, so the fastest team gets the lowest points. There are deductions for penalties and the team with the lower points wins.
Logan Ruegsegger. a civil engineering sophomore from Great Falls. will be competing for her second year. Last year Ruegsegger joined a small team of female students to compete in the women’s division. She loved the experience and said it’s been incredible to grow the women’s teams. The team reached out to past successful Montana Tech Mining Team alumni to learn how to better compete and recruit more female members.
“Last year, I didn't know any of the techniques,” Ruegsegger said. “I was just muscling everything, and it wasn't very effective for any of us. This year, we've seen significant growth. We'll be much more competitive this year.”
Both Ruegsegger and Cornwall expressed fondness for their teammates, who practice together six days a week.
“We really are like a family,” Cornwall said.
Gavin Crocker is a mining engineering freshman from California who joined the team in the fall.
“I had never done any of it, nor did I know how to do any of it,” Crocker said. “I thought it was really fun. It’s a rush.”
It will be the first time Gavin and some other team members have traveled out of the country.
“I’m looking forward to exploring and see the different culture that they have over there,” Crocker said. “I’ve enjoyed seeing the difference in culture from where I lived in California to Butte, and I’m looking forward to experiencing England.”
Madelynn Hasz is a mining engineering freshman from Athol, Idaho who is also competing for the first time. She signed up for a test run competition in Philipsburg in the fall, and thought she would just gold pan. She found out she loved most of the events, with hand steel being her favorite.
Hasz says the hardest event for her has been the swede saw, but she’s reduced her time from 13 minutes to two. She started going to the gym to improve her strength for competition.
“I have so much more stamina,” Hasz said. “I really like competing and I am so excited to compete in England.”
To learn more about the competition, click here.