LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course


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. In its short history, it has hosted multiple championship meets. The course has hosted the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2003, and Division III Regional in 2009 and 2012. The most prominent meet it has hosted has been the [NCAA Men's Division I (NCAA)|Division I Cross Country Championship|Men's] and Women's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. It has additionally hosted the [NCAA Men's Division III (NCAA)|Division III Cross Country Championship|Men's] and Women's NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in 2012 and 2024. In 2004 it also became the host site of the state high school championship meet for Indiana, as well as the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional Meet in 2009. It has also hosted numerous other invitational and conference championship meets since it opened.