Eastern Illinois University Athletics

HIGH SCHOOL ... Gibson was a five-sport athlete for several coaches at Argenta-Oreana HS just outside of Decatur... earned multiple letters in basketball and track, while also seeing action in volleyball and a year on the cross country unit... in basketball she was a four-year varsity starter earning team captain, sportsmanship and offensive MVP honors... named to All-Camp team Rollo, member of the all-tourney unit at Licking tournament... named honorable mention by the Decatur Herald & Review and Champaign News-Gazette... also earned all-county team honors... nabbed the Bomber Award for leathership, sportsmanship and teamwork while a member of both her cross country and volleyball squads... team mvp and state qualifier in high jump, and nabbed Area Best recognition by the News-Gazette... high jump champ at the Macon County meet... four year member of the Honor Roll, including High Honors as a senior.

PERSONAL ... Planning on majoring in kinesiology and sports studies... daughter of Mike & Stacey Gibson... born on Dec. 7... No. 1 sports highlight was "clearing five foot at the state track meet for the first time"... credits her cross country coach, Ms. Simonson, for having the biggest influence on her sports career, "because she pushed me through every workout, game or meet... she has a way of getting me to do the unthinkable and I always try my best for her... she is a truly a great inspiration and a awesome coach"... her mom was a collegiate athlete in basketball, track and volleyball at Millikin, while another relative, Bob Bevins, played football at EIU.

OFF THE PITCH WITH KATLYN ... 'KG' chose EIU "because of the great opportunities that I could not pass up.. it felt like a perfect fit and has everything I am looking for in a college"... feels Eastern's advantages over other schools includes "that it is close to home, the rugby team is number one in the nation... I have had many relatives attend the school and now I get the chance to play a new sport"... also enjoys playing basketball and running... her hidden talent includes having pretty good organizational skills... currently driving a 2003 Chevy Cavalier... enjoys dining on spaghetti, chicken tenders and pasta... doesn't care much for pickles or McDonalds, however... she can't go anywhere without her phone or chapstick... her favorite vacation memory was "going to Disney World back in 2006 with my family"... her family owns several pets, including 'Faith' a Rottweiler, 'Smokey' a Terrier mix, 'Snookie', a Chow-Chow, and a dutch bunny named 'Buggs'... wishes she could switch places with singler Beyonce for one day, "because she is not only an amazing singer, but a powerful woman"... her favorite place on campus is the O'Brien Stadium track... wishes she could bring her sister with her to campus... her advice for a younger athlete would be "to work hard at everything you do and to never give up"... her favorite quote comes via the movie character Ferris Bueller -- "life moves pretty fast... if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it"... goals she has while at EIU include "maintaining a good grade point average and be able to find a job after graduation... being successful in and out of the classroom is what I striding for."