Montana Tech mining teams headed to Arizona for international competition

Montana Technological University’s mining teams are packing their bags for the desert. On March 24-27 students will compete at the University of Arizona in Tucson in the 48th Intercollegiate/ International Mining Games, a global competition that brings together mining students from universities around the world to test technical skills, teamwork, and endurance.

Montana Tech will send six teams to this year’s competition, including three men’s teams, two women’s teams, and one coed team. Montana Tech is the only college to have competed in all 47 previous events.

“We’re taking six teams this year, which is exciting,” said Dozick Zablocki, a junior mining engineering student from Pennsylvania and president of the Montana Tech Mining Team. “It’s a great group of students.”

The competition will take place at San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, a test mine similar to Montana Tech’s Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC).

“There’s a lot of mining history in Arizona, both past and present,” said Nate Haglin, a senior mining engineering student from Wilbur, Washington, who serves as the team’s fundraising chair. “It’s really cool to see how different mines operate and learn from each other.”

In addition to the competition events, students will have opportunities to tour mining facilities, connect with industry professionals, and network with peers from around the world.

“That networking piece is huge,” Haglin said. “You meet other students who will be your coworkers one day, and industry professionals who might be your future bosses. Those relationships last well beyond the competition.”

For many students, the Mining Games offer more than just competition. They provide an opportunity to experience mining culture across the globe. In recent years, Montana Tech teams have competed in Australia and England, gaining exposure to international mining operations and practices.

“Each host school has such a different mining history,” Haglin said. “Seeing how mining is done around the world has been an incredible experience.”

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 or penalties and the team with the lower points wins. 

“Jackleg definitely has the most eyes on it,” Zablocki said. “You have three minutes to drill as many inches as you can, and everyone’s watching.”

The event requires competitors to operate a pneumatic drill weighing roughly 120 pounds, combining strength, precision, and composure under pressure.

“It’s a really unique mining technique that’s been used for a long time and is still used today,” Haglin said. “It’s challenging, but that’s what makes it exciting.”

Zablocki, who has placed second in the jackleg drilling event the past two years, hopes this year is the one that ends with a first-place finish.

Montana Tech teams have consistently performed well at the Mining Games, often returning home with trophies. Last year, the teams brought home multiple awards, but not the coveted Sunshine Trophy.

“We’re hoping to bring that trophy home again,” Zablocki said.

Plans are already underway for the 50th Intercollegiate/International Mining Games in Butte in 2028.

“It’s a big deal for Montana Tech,” Haglin said. “It speaks to the legacy of the program.”

Traveling with six teams and more than 30 students takes significant support. Haglin and Zablocki credited the team’s sponsors, particularly Barnard Construction of Bozeman, the overall team sponsor, for making the trip possible.

“Fundraising is a huge part of what we do,” Haglin said. “We’re really grateful for the companies that support us.”

As the teams prepare to head south, both students say the competition represents everything Montana Tech mining students are trained for: hands-on skills, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving.

“This is where all the work pays off,” Zablocki said. “We’re ready.”