Montana Tech Mining Team heads to Philipsburg for annual Miners Union Day Competition
Montana Technological University’s Mining Team is gearing up for one of its favorite traditions: the annual Miners Union Day competition in Philipsburg. The event, set for September 6, 2025 brings together miners, students, alumni, and community members from across Montana for a day of skill-based contests, camaraderie, and celebration of mining heritage.
“People come from all over, from all kinds of backgrounds and ages,” said Logan Ruegsegger, a civil engineering junior and member of the Mining Team. “There are daughter-and-dad teams, seasoned miners, and college students all competing together. It’s a huge community event, and it’s just a really good time up in the mountains.”
The competition features classic mining events such as hand steel, jackleg drilling, spike driving, and single mucking, along with Swede saw and gold panning contests. The single muck event, where one competitor must shovel ore by themselves rather than as part of a team, serves as an unofficial initiation for first-year students. All proceeds will go to the Oreo Winninghoff Scholarship fund at Granite High School to benefit students attending Montana Tech in the fields of mining, metallurgical, or geological engineering.
“It’s hard to do everything by yourself, but it makes you appreciate having a team behind you,” Ruegsegger said. “I always do it with the freshmen so they don’t feel bad—if they’re struggling, they know I’m right there with them.”
The Philipsburg competition also gives Montana Tech students a chance to connect with alumni and other professionals in the industry. Last year, Ruegsegger earned first place in several women’s events, underscoring the team’s growing presence of female competitors.
“We’ve started bringing more women to it again, which has been cool,” Ruegsegger said. “Now there’s enough of us to have our own women’s division instead of just competing in the same pool. It’s great to see that growth.”
More than a dozen Montana Tech students are expected to participate this year. For many, the event provides not only hands-on practice in traditional mining techniques but also a chance to build connections and carry forward a proud mining tradition.
“Mining competitions are about more than just skill,” Ruegsegger said. “They’re about community, history, and learning from people who’ve been doing this for generations.”
The Philipsburg event is great practice for the Intercollegiate Mining and Mucking Contest, which will take place in Arizona in the spring. There will also be a mini mining competition taking place Sept. 26 as the Mining Engineering Department celebrates its 125th anniversary. That event will pair current students and alumni in hand steel, swede saw and gold pan. For more information about the 125th anniversary, click here.