Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA, April 28–29, 1922
The Penn Relays took place at the end of April in Philadelphia. The Syracuse University team set a world-leading time of 3:19.4 in the 4x440-yard relay. The team was relatively unknown, except for anchor Allen Woodring, the 200-meter Olympic champion from Antwerp, who closed a five-yard gap to Princeton's team in the final stretch to bring Syracuse to victory.
Olympic high hurdles champion Earl Thomson was beginning to step back from competitive racing. At Franklin Field, he still managed to secure a victory with a time of 15.0 seconds. This modest time, due to the off-year in competition, was enough for a tie for second place in the world rankings.
1–6 (Spalding’s NCAA Guide)
Evening Journal, May 1, 1922 (Photo)
Drake Stadium, Des Moines, IA, April 28–29, 1922
The Drake Relays are typically held in Des Moines, Iowa, the same weekend as the Penn Relays, over 1,084 miles (1,744 kilometers) away in Philadelphia, as they were over a century ago.
The 4x440-yard relay teams’ times were slightly slower than those at the Penn Relays. The University of Illinois team completed the four-lap relay in 3:20.4, a time that put them just behind Syracuse University in the world rankings. No European national team exceeded this mark, although opportunities for such competitions were limited.
The United States’ top middle-distance runners faced off in the mile. Ray Watson, who had struggled to keep up with Paavo Nurmi in the 1924 Paris Olympics, surprised many by defeating Joie Ray, a fierce competitor of Ville Ritola.
Future Olympic champion Harold Osborn gave a preview of things to come, clearing the bar at 1.981 (6-6), which led the world rankings. High jump standards were down in 1922, evidenced by the U.S. national championship being won at a relatively modest height of 1.959 (6-5).
Javelin throwing in the U.S. reached impressive distances occasionally in the 1920s. At the Drake Relays, Milton Angier, who later rose to the rank of major in World War II, threw 61.81 (202-9), placing sixth in the world rankings. The top five places were held by two Finns, two Swedes, and one Estonian.
1–4 (Spalding’s NCAA Guide)