SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Nov. 15) — The Colorado School of Mines Women's Rugby Club delivered a dominant performance in their opening regional matchup of the NCR Sweet 16, defeating the University of North Dakota 59–5 at Allison Sports Town on Friday morning. Behind a relentless attack, disciplined execution, and one of their strongest defensive showings of the year, the Orediggers made a powerful statement as they continue their postseason pursuit.

Right from kickoff, Mines found immediate rhythm and never looked back. Amy Sessions opened the scoring to set the tone, and moments later the forward pack powered downfield, clearing space for Aliya Lynn to crash over the line for the second try of the match. Mines continued to apply pressure as McKenzie Williams broke open the defense with a long-range run for another score, and on the following kickoff Lynn struck again, bursting through traffic on a highlight run with Paige Kieschnick in support. The momentum continued as Ayana Mejorado found the try line before Kaylyn Courtney added her own strong finish. Sessions capped off Mines' electric first half with another breakaway directly up the middle, sending the Orediggers into halftime leading 45–0.

Mines kept the tempo high in the second half, and Paige Kieschnick extended the lead with a blazing run down the sideline for another crowd-energizing try. North Dakota battled to score their lone try of the match, but the Orediggers responded with a final showcase of creativity and composure. In the closing seconds, Kylie Bogert launched a perfectly weighted kick into space, and Piper Lee chased it down for a decisive finish, sealing the 59–5 victory and advancing Mines forward in national championship contention.

While the attack produced a clinic in scoring variety, range, and field awareness, the defensive effort was equally impressive. Mines recorded extremely few missed tackles, with Caroline Landers posting a massive 20-tackle performance, followed by Amy Sessions with 17, and Jade Leveille and Jaci Langford each contributing 14. Langford also broke the gainline three times to flip field position, and Emma Acker delivered standout reads that resulted in multiple turnovers, keeping momentum firmly in the Orediggers' favor from start to finish.

With a complete team performance, a strong platform in both phases, and postseason confidence continuing to build, Mines moves deeper into the national bracket with focus and belief. The Orediggers now advance to the next round of the NCR playoffs as they continue their pursuit of national hardware.