The U of T entry to the 36th Canadian Mining Games brought home eight awards from this year’s competition. Our team of 16, represented by 15 of our Lassonde Mineral Engineering students and one Earth Sciences student, was led by co-captains, Evan Kiriakou (MinE Year 4) and Yu-Jen Yu (MinE Year 4), netting fantastic recognition with four first-place, a second-place and three third-place finishes.
The most decorated member of the team Arjan O’Brien (MinE Year 3), currently on his PEY Co-op, who saw three first-place awards for the Speech Competition, Mine Trivia (with Yu-Jen Yu) and the Bulldozer Simulator (with Iyesha Rupasinha Arachchige). Andrew Watson (MinE Year 4) also saw three awards including a first in Open Pit Mine Design (with Adam Dimalanta), a second in Jack Leg (with Adam Dimalanta) and a third in Equipment Selection (with Miles Dobson).
The annual event event, held February 19-21, 2026 in Saskatoon, Sask., was hosted by the University of Saskatchewan. With a field of 10 competing institutions from across Canada, each with a team of 16, a total of 160 students pursued recognition in 27 events.
Awards for U of T:
🥇 First Place: Speech Competition – Arjan O’Brien
🥇 First Place: Mine Trivia – Yu-Jen Yu and Arjan O’Brien
🥇 First Place: Open Pit Mine Design – Andrew Watson and Adam Dimalanta
🥇 First Place: Mystery Event F (Bulldozer Simulator) – Iyesha Rupasinha Arachchige and Arjan O’Brien
🥈Second Place: Jack leg – Andrew Watson and Adam Dimalanta
🥉Third Place: Equipment Selection – Miles Dobson and Andrew Watson
🥉Third Place: Rock Mechanics – Evan Kiriakou and Mackenzie Tagliamonte
🥉Third Place: Mystery Event E (Mining Terminology) – Matthew Ye and Nastaran Noroozifar
Team members:
Sarim Baig (MinE Year 3)
Franz Reinald Balane (MinE Year 3) on PEY
Adam Dimalanta (MinE Year 3) on PEY
Miles Dobson (MinE Year 4)
Charles Ellinas (MinE Year 4)
Thomas Golle (MinE Year 4)
Zara Graham (Earth Sci Year 3)
Evan Kiriakou (MinE Year 4)
Nastaran Noroozifar (MinE Year 3) on PEY
Arjan O’Brien (MinE Year 3) on PEY
Iyesha Rupasinha Arachchige (MinE Year 4 & Min Club President)
Mackenzie Tagliamonte (MinE Year 3) on PEY
Nathan Taylor (MinE Year 3)
Andrew Watson (MinE Year 4)
Matthew Ye (MinE Year 4)
Yujen Yu (MinE Year 4)
Additionally, Nastaran Noroozifar is named one of four recipients of the Women in Mining Canada Scholarship, reflecting her leadership, drive, and impact in the industry. Yu-Jen Yu receives the Allyship scholarship for supporting women on the team, with their ongoing support and advocacy make a real difference in creating a more inclusive and empowering space in mining.
Next year’s 37th Annual Canadian Mining Games will be hosted by the University of Toronto. The future co-captains, Arjan O’Brien and Nastaran Noroozifar, will lead our team for another incredible year of competition.
