Despite the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, more than 100 Orediggers are in the middle of their season.
Some that were on a hot streak in late December will no doubt want to keep it going into the new year, while others may want to turn the proverbial page and start their season afresh.
The Colorado School of Mines winter sports teams started their winter breaks Dec. 21, or earlier, and will resume competition in early January. In the interim, let’s recap what they’ve accomplished so far and what’s to come in 2025:
Men’s basketball
The Mines men’s basketball team has had a strong start to their 2024-25 season.
After their Dec. 20 win over Angelo State, the Orediggers were 9-2 overall, 4-0 in conference, and ranked No. 10 among NCAA Division II teams.
The Orediggers faced down the Rams Dec. 20 at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas. Redshirt senior forward Riley Schroeder led Mines in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting in 23 minutes. The Orediggers ultimately won 71-54.
Mines resumes play Jan. 4 at home against Northern New Mexico — their final non-conference game of the regular season. Afterward, the Orediggers start their conference schedule in earnest Jan. 9 at Chadron State.
Senior Night is slated for Feb. 20 against Regis.
Women’s basketball
The Orediggers had a rocky start in 2024 but are hoping to find their footing in 2025.
On Dec. 20, the Mines women’s basketball team lost 69-59 at home to Angelo State, bringing its record to 3-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Guards Jenna Siebert and Emma Sixta led the team with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Siebert also notched nine rebounds, and Sixta had six assists.
The Orediggers have faced steep competition in this winter.
In November, they took on four Top 15 teams in consecutive games, including No. 1 Texas Woman’s. Mines lost four of the three, but squeaked out a 92-88 win at home against No. 9 Minnesota State.
Then, in December, the Orediggers started their conference schedule, including a heartbreaking 74-73 overtime loss at New Mexico Highlands. The Dec. 20 game against Angelo State marked their final non-con game of the season.
From January on, Mines faces its usual RMAC foes, starting with a Jan. 9 game at Chadron State.
The Orediggers won’t be back in Lockridge Arena until Jan. 16 against CSU Pueblo. Their Senior Night is also scheduled for Feb. 20 against Regis.
Wrestling
The Mines wrestling team closed out 2024 undefeated in duals and with a very strong showing at the Dec. 14-15 Midwest Classic. As such, the team was ranked No. 18 in the nation as the wrestlers started their winter break.
The Orediggers have tough competition awaiting them in 2025, as they resume their season Jan. 4 with the John Hancock Duals at their own Volk Gymnasium. Mines will face off against Central Missouri, Belmont Abbey and Sioux Falls in consecutive duals in a three-hour span.
Afterward, the Orediggers’ slate is mostly conference duals through their Feb. 12 Senior Night dual.
The NCAA Division II regionals tournament is slated for March 1 in Gunnison. Any advancing wrestlers will compete at the March 14-15 national championship in Indianapolis, which is part of the NCAA Division II Championships Festival.
Indoor track & field
The Orediggers have only competed in two indoor track & field meets so far, but they’ve already had a historic season.
During a Dec. 7 meet in Boston, Mines’ Loic Scomparin and Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge set the NCAA Division II all-time records in the men’s 3K and women’s 5K, respectively.
Ramsey-Rutledge ran the 5K in 15:40.98, becoming the first Oredigger woman to run sub-16:00. Her previous best was 16:26.
For Scomparin, he now owns two of the top three and three of the top 10 fastest 3K performances in D-II history over his career.
While other Orediggers did well in Boston, simultaneously, some of their teammates were competing at the Dec. 6-7 Mines Alumni Classic. On the meet’s first day, Mines athletes broke three program records and won four events; on the second day, three Orediggers had NCAA-provisional performances.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will be back in action Jan. 11 at the Potts Invitational in Boulder.
The Orediggers are set to compete in a variety of both in-state and out-of-state meets until the Feb. 28-March 1 RMAC Championships in Colorado Springs.
The NCAA Division II championships will be March 13-15 in Indianapolis.
Swimming
While the Mines men’s and women’s swimming teams haven’t competed since Nov. 23, they’ll be back in the pool Jan. 3 in a head-to-head meet at Denver.
Both teams did well in 2024. The men’s team has a 3-0 record and placed among the Top 3 teams every day during the Nov. 20-23 TYR/CMU Invitational. The women’s team is similarly 3-1, and placed fourth or better every day at the TYR/CMU Invitational.
Once they resume competition Jan. 3, both teams will be competing in head-to-head meets, including their Jan. 18 Senior Day meet against Wyoming.
The RMAC Championships will be Feb. 11-15 in Grand Junction, and the national championships are March 11-15 in Indianapolis.
For more information on any Colorado School of Mines team, visit MinesAthletics.com.