A rough season ended on a sour note for the Colorado School of Mines football team Saturday in Chadron, Neb. The Orediggers fell behind early, rallied late but fell 20-14 to No. 21 Chadron State in the season finale. Mines (6-5, 4-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) did get a boost from the return of its running game, with Tevin Champagne rushing for a season-high 132 yards and a touchdown. Matt Brown passed for only 132 yards but rushed for 39 yards and another score. Senior punter Taylor Accardi finished his four-year career with NCAA Division II season record an average of of 51.1 yards per punt. He also set the career mark of 46.1 yards per kick.
Both the Mines men’s and women’s basketball teams kicked off the 2012-13 season with a bang. The No. 13 Mines men held off Minot State 87-83 in double overtime in its season opener, with Brian Muller scoring 28 points and Trevor Wages going for 15 points and 15 rebounds.
The Mines women defeated Alaska-Anchorage 80-74 and Alaska-Fairbanks 87-73, giving new coach Brittany Simpson her first two victories. Angie Charchalis led the way in the opener with 31 points, and Allie Grazulis scored 22 points in the victory over Fairbanks.
Freshmen John Crowley and Paul Wilson scored a pair of first-place finishes at the Colorado Mesa University Open last weekend in Grand Junction. Crowley went 5-0 in the 157-pound bracket, and Wilson was 4-0 at 197.