INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana State University has been chosen to host the 2019 NCAA Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, as well as the 2018 and 2020 NCAA Great Lakes Regionals.
 
Indiana State and the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course have hosted 12 of the last 15 NCAA Championship meets dating back to 2002 – the last coming this past fall in 2016. LaVern Gibson has hosted the national meet in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
 
In addition to Indiana State, the NCAA has chosen Wisconsin (2018), Oklahoma State (2020) and Florida State (2021) to host the national championship meet. Regionally, the other two Great Lakes hosts in this bid cycle include Wisconsin (2019) and Evansville (2021).
 
Indiana State also hosts the 2017 Great Lakes Regional this coming fall for the fifth time in course history (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003).
 
2018-2021 NCAA Cross Country Championship Sites:
Nov. 17, 2018: Wisconsin
Nov. 23, 2019: Indiana State
Nov. 21, 2020: Oklahoma State
Nov. 20, 2021: Florida State
 
2018-2021 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Sites:
Nov. 9, 2018: Indiana State
Nov. 15, 2019: Wisconsin
Nov. 13, 2020: Indiana State
Nov. 12, 2021: Evansville
 
ABOUT LAVERN GIBSON CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY COURSE
Located just a few miles east of the city of Terre Haute, the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course is the centerpiece of the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
 
Sitting on the site of a reclaimed coal mine, the course was the vision of former Indiana State University head track and field and cross country coach, John McNichols.
 
LaVern Gibson donated the land for the course and the development of the facility. Indiana State and Boston Celtics basketball star Larry Bird made a donation to the facility in honor of his father, Joe Bird, and the donation was matched by Max and Greg Gibson in the name of their father and grandfather, respectively. 

Ground was broken in the summer of 1995 with the first race, the Indiana Intercollegiate, conducted in October 1997. The course has hosted the Great Lakes Region meet four times (1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003), the Missouri Valley Conference Championship three times (2000, 2002, 2011), and the Indiana Intercollegiate seven times (1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015).
 
The NCAA awarded the site the 2002 Division I Men's and Women's National Championship, the first of 12 such honors for Indiana State and LaVern Gibson. The course went on to host the NCAA Championship eight straight years (2004-2011) and then again in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Much of the course's popularity is due to its challenging, yet manageable, mix of uphill and downhill sections and its simple straightaway start that stretches for nearly the first kilometer before a turn. For spectators, no other course matches in LaVern Gibson's ability to see nearly the entire race from the right perch -- a nice perk for TV crews coming to broadcast the meets as well.
 
IMPROVEMENTS
Since first breaking ground in 1995, the course has seen many different improvements and modifications.

• Finish line building and press box —1998
• Irrigation system down the main straightaway— 1999
• Permanent fencing down the main straightaway— 2002
• Permanent fencing along the course —2003-present
• Concession stand/bathroom facilities— 2003
• Bleacher seating down the main straightaway 2010?
• Enclosed finish line chute with field turf lining – 2016
• New awards stand area, featuring the old pillars from the historic Terre Haute House – 2016
 
COURSE RECORDS
 
Women's 5K
16:52.2 - Erica Palmer, Wisconsin, 1999 NCAA Great Lakes Regional

Women's 6K
19:28.1 - Sally Kipyego, Texas Tech, 2008 NCAA Championships

Men's 8K
22:51.3 - Samuel Chelanga, Liberty, 2008 Pre-National Invitational

Men's 10K
28:41.3 - Samuel Chelanga, Liberty, 2009 NCAA Championships
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track and Field team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.