09/24/2002

• AGE: 16

• SCHOOL: Dover High

• CLASS: Junior

• RESIDENCE: Dover

• ACCOMPLISHMENT: Winner of the Boys A (large schools) race at the Lake Forest Invitational, held at Killens Pond State Park on Saturday. Gibson won in 16 minutes, 44 seconds on the 3.1-mile course, using one last push over the final 200 yards to win by three seconds. It was the first time Gibson had run a high school race in less than 17 minutes. This is just his third year of cross country competition.

• DID IT HAPPEN? "It still feels like a dream. I'm really just amazed at my time, and my winning," Gibson said Sunday morning. The race was run amid hot, humid conditions. "I almost felt like giving up, but I don't know why I didn't. Something was just telling me to keep going, especially with the other guys on my tail. That's when I started to feel I could win."

• MAKING THEIR MOVE: The Senators were second as a team in the race behind Salesianum, 48-63, a tighter finish than expected. Dover's Rich Worley placed third, and Patrick Boyle took ninth. "This was kind of a surprise," coach Jim Solomon said. "But this summer they did the work [at a camp in the Blue Mountain range in Virginia] and it's starting to show already. They hung in there and had something left, and we're trying to keep a level head about it."

• THE GIBSON FILE: Placed 11th in the Division I state meet last year, and won the Kent County championship race ... Also plays basketball for the Senators, plays saxophone for the school band and sings bass in the school chorus ... Hopes to earn a college scholarship for his running.