The Illinois Department of Natural Resources hold a Mine Rescue Competition each year. The competition this year included 17 teams from all over the United States. The winners of the mine rescue competition and benchman competition are listed below.
| Mine Rescue Competition | Benchman |
| 1st Place – Viper Red, Arch Coal | 1st Place – Jeff Bradford, River View Coal |
| 2nd Place – Wildcat Hills Team, Peabody Midwest | 2nd Place – Todd Watson, Warrior Coal, LLC |
| 3rd Place – Sunrise Coal MR, Sunrise Coal LLC | 3rd Place – Josh White, Sunrise Coal, LLC |