Held last week in Farmington, New Mexico, the mine rescue contest requires teams to overcome obstacles that may be associated with a mine disaster and to rescue survivors.

Teams are judged on their knowledge of mine rescue principles and mapping, as well as organization, attention to detail and teamwork.

Sufco's white team took first place in mine rescue against 18 teams from five states.

Sufco team member Justus Norcross also finished first in novice benching and third in the overall bench competition while Brady Huntsman finished fifth in the pre-shift competition.

In a statement on Monday Arch Coal said a total of four subsidiary teams competed in the competition.

In addition to Sufco's first-place finish, Skyline's white team placed fourth, Mountain Coal Company and its West Elk red team placed eighth and Dugout Canyon's team placed 10th.

Sufco general manager Ken May said the team’s performance was outstanding.

"When we train and compete we're continuously improving our skills and furthering safety as a core value,” May said.