The LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course is a cross country course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The course is one of the few purpose-built cross country courses in the world. The facility is part of that comprise the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center just east of the Terre Haute International Airport. The course is built on a reclaimed coal mine and consists of an external loop of 3 km and four internal loops that allow for circuits of varying lengths. Indiana State University's cross country team uses the course for its home meets.
History
The course was dedicated on October 17, 1997 for the Indiana Intercollegiate Championship. Since that time the facility has hosted multiple championship meets at the collegiate and high school level. The most prominent meet the facility has hosted has been the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships (2002, 2004–2011, 2013–2014, 2016, 2019, 2026). It has additionally hosted the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships in 2012 and 2024. In 2004, the course became the host site of the state high school championship meet for Indiana, as well as the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Midwest Regional Meet in 2009. It has also hosted numerous other invitational and conference championship meets since it opened.
Course records Race Runner School Time Race DateCollegiate Course Records Women's 6k Sally Kipyego Texas Tech 19:28.1 2008 NCAA Championship 11/25/2008 Women's 6k (old course) Joanna Nilsson Northern Arizona 19:33.9 2005 NCAA Championship 11/21/2005 Men's 8k Sam Chelanga Liberty 22:51.3 2008 Brooks Pre-Nationals White Race 10/18/2008 Men's 10k Sam Chelanga Liberty 28:41.2 2009 NCAA Championship 11/23/2009High School Course Records Girls 5kZofia DudekPioneer High School (MI)16:49.3 2019 Nike XC Nationals Midwest Regional 11/16/2019 Girls 4k (old course) Alexandra Banfich Culver Girls Academy (IN) 14:05.1 2005 Indiana HS State Championship 10/29/2005 Boys 5k Hunter Jones Benzie Central High School (Benzonia, MI) 14:21.8 2022 Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regionals 11/13/2022
References
External links Official website