PITTSBURGH, Sept. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CONSOL Energy's (NYSE: CNX) Buchanan Mine Rescue team, near Oakwood, Va., took home first place honors in the Southern West Virginia Mine Rescue Contest held recently in Beckley, WV.

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CONSOL Energy teams and their members earned 12 of the 24 trophies awarded at the two-day competition.

The Buchanan Black team earned first place overall in the Beckley competition while CONSOL Energy's McElroy Red team earned second place overall.

Members of the Buchanan Black team include Danny Quesenberry, Jeff Begley, Frankie McClanahan, Rocky Meadows, Greg Burress, Jackie Horn, Matt Sutherland, Josh Richardson and Tyler Richardson. Scott Honaker is the trainer for the Buchanan team.

CONSOL Energy teams earned a sweep of the top three team spots on day two of the daily competition. Buchanan Black earned first place on the first day and third place on the second day; McElroy Red won first place on the second day; and Enlow Fork's Green team earned second place on the second day.

In the individual contests, winners were as follows: (Bench-BG-4) Kevin Bee, Blacksville, first place; Keith Richardson, Buchanan Red team, second place; and John Helmick, Bailey Blue, third place; (First Aid) Enlow Fork's Green team, third place; and (Combination) Enlow Fork Green, second place.

Curt Hoffman, Enlow Fork Green, earned third place in the Pre-Shift competition.

About CONSOL Energy

CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX) is a Pittsburgh-based producer of coal and natural gas. It has 12 bituminous coal mining complexes in four states and reports proven and probable coal reserves of 4.2 billion tons. The company's premium Appalachian coals are sold worldwide to electricity generators and steelmakers. In natural gas, CONSOL Energy has transformed itself from a pure-play coalbed methane producer to a full-fledged exploration and production company. The company is a leading producer in the Marcellus Shale and is transitioning its active exploration program into development mode in the Utica Shale. CONSOL Energy has proved natural gas reserves of 4.0 trillion cubic feet. Operational safety is the company's top core value and CONSOL Energy boasts a record of almost two times better than the industry average for underground bituminous coal mines. CONSOL Energy is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Equity Index and the Fortune 500. Additional information about CONSOL Energy can be found at its Web site: www.consolenergy.com.

SOURCE CONSOL Energy Inc.