COLORADO SPRINGS - Colorado School of Mines has won its third consecutive RMAC All-Sports Competition Cup, which measures overall department excellence among the RMAC's member institutions.

The Orediggers' point total of 927.5 is the second-highest in the history of the cup, trailing only the 937 scored by Mines in 2015-16. Mines is only the third school in the history of the cup to win three in a row, joining former RMAC member Nebraska-Kearney, which won 11 in a row between 1995 and 2005, and Adams State, which won three straight from 1992 to 1994. 

"I am extremely proud of our student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, administration, faculty, alumni, and parents who all work so hard making Mines Athletics successful on the field and in the classroom," said Mines director of athletics David Hansburg. "Winning three RMAC All-Sports Cups in a row is an astounding accomplishment given the high level of competition we face every day from the great schools in our conference. Mines is proud to be part of the best Division II conference in the nation and we congratulate all of the other schools for what they have accomplished as well in 2017-18."

The Cup is awarded to the institution which accumulates the most points over the year based on its teams' outcome in the RMAC's four core sports, along with six wild card sports. The four core sports are football or men's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball, while the six wild card sports consist of three men's sports and three women's sports, which are designated by that institution's best finish in those 19 non-core sports (23 total RMAC sports). All points are based on regular-season finishes, or RMAC Championship finishes in cross country, track & field, and swimming.

Mines carried a league-best 355.5 points from its core sports as men's soccer earned 100 with the RMAC regular-season championship, volleyball earned 97 tying for the regular-season title, women's basketball scored 77.5 tying for fourth, and men's basketball had 81 points in fourth. The men's wildcard helped set Mines apart with a perfect score of 300 thanks to RMAC championships by men's cross country, golf, and men's indoor track & field; the Orediggers didn't even get to count their outdoor track & field title, which would have been another 100 points. For the women's wildcard, runner-up finishes by soccer and cross country netted 92 and 94 points, respectively, while outdoor track & field earned 86 via a third-place showing.

"Congratulations to the Orediggers for their All-Sports Cup 'three-peat,'" said RMAC Commissioner Chris Graham. "It's an impressive accomplishment that requires consistent success across all seasons and programs. The staff and student-athletes at Colorado School of Mines have maintained a high level of competition that, along with many other programs in the RMAC, have led to continued success regionally and nationally."

Colorado Mesa (815 points) was the runner-up followed by UCCS (797.5), MSU Denver (760), and CSU-Pueblo (733). 

The Cup win is Mines' fourth overall, and since winning it for the first time in 2011-12, Mines has finished no lower than third in the standings. Mines will be presented with the Cup during the RMAC Hall of Fame & Awards Ceremony on Friday, July 13 at the Colorado Springs Marriott.

2017-18 RMAC All-Sports Competition Cup Standings
Colorado School of Mines - 927.5
Colorado Mesa - 815
UCCS - 797.5
MSU Denver - 760
CSU-Pueblo - 733
Regis - 729
Adams State - 652
Fort Lewis - 649
Western - 609.5
Black Hills State - 541.5
Chadron State - 493.5
Westminster - 491
Colorado Christian - 461
New Mexico Highlands - 410
South Dakota Mines - 312.5