Crystal Gibson was named the director of athletics & recreation at St. Mary's College of Maryland in June 2020. In her position, Gibson is responsible for providing leadership and direction to ensure success in the athletics and recreation programs while supporting the mission, goals, and objectives of St. Mary's College.
Success has become the standard during Gibson's tenure with the Seahawks claiming back-to-back United East Conference Presidents' Cups (2022-23, 2023-24) within their first three years as league members. In 2023-24, all 16 Seahawk programs eligible to compete in their respective United East Championship Tournament experienced postseason action.
In her second year, Gibson helped SMCM usher in a new era as the newest member of the United East. St. Mary's College enjoyed one of its most successful years in school history, winning eight team conference championships in the United East (6 - men's cross country, women's cross country, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, men's tennis, and women's tennis), Atlantic East Conference (women's swimming), and the Mid Atlantic Rowing Conference (women's rowing). Additionally, the Seahawks finished as the runners-up in the 2021-22 United East Presidents' Cup in their inaugural season.
Gibson is part of the 3.6 percent of Black or African American women in the role of athletics director in NCAA Division III as noted in the latestÂ
College Sport Racial and Gender Report Card. She spent three years (2021-24) as a member of the NCAA Board of Governors
Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity (CPCDE). Gibson represented CPCDE during the
Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports'Â critical and sensitive discussions regarding transgender student-athlete participation and the NCAA policy, providing a voice to support student-athlete well-being and inclusive excellence.
She began a two-year term as chair of the United East Athletic Directors Council in July 2023. Gibson was then appointed to the NCAA Division III
Management Council for a four-year term in January 2024 following confirmation by the division's 434 member institutions at the NCAA Convention. As part of her Management Council appointment, she will also serve on the NCAA Division III
Interpretations and Legislation Committee and the NCAA Division III
Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee.
Gibson was voted onto the board for the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) at the 2022 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention in Las Vegas. She joined the NADIIIAA presidential rotation in July 2024 with her appointment as the 3rd Vice President for the 2024-25 membership year. She will assume the role of NADIIIAA president for the 2027-28 membership year.
She also completed the NCAA
Pathway Program in 2017.
Before returning to SMCM, Gibson spent three years (2017-20) supporting 23 NCAA varsity teams and 600 student-athletes at Division III Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, Pa.), serving as the associate director of athletics (2017-19) and interim director of athletics (2019-20). In addition to those roles, she was the senior woman administrator (SWA), compliance coordinator, and gameday management supervisor.
The Randallstown, Maryland, native is no stranger to Seahawk athletics, having served six years as the head women's basketball coach from 2011 to 2017 and as the SWA from 2012 to 2017. She guided the Seahawks to five consecutive playoff berths in the highly competitive Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) and served as the CAC Women’s Basketball Chair between 2014 and 2017. As the SWA, Gibson initiated and chaired the department’s first-ever Title IX review.
Her first full-time position was head women’s basketball coach and assistant sports information director at Arcadia University (Glenside, Pa.). She also served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Frostburg State University (Frostburg, Md.) and Lebanon Valley College (Annville, Pa.).
Gibson graduated from Lebanon Valley in 2005 with a B.S. in biology and earned her MBA from LVC in 2019. She is a member of Lebanon Valley's Athletic Hall of Fame as an All-American high jumper and four-year starter on the Dutchmen women’s basketball team.
Updated: August 5, 2024
