Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA, USA, May 26-27, 1922
The IC4A university championships were held for the 46th time at Harvard University's field in Greater Boston at the end of May.
The weather was warm on the first day and cool on the second, causing performance levels to drop slightly. Approximately 20,000 spectators turned up at Harvard's stands.
Lafayette's 21-year-old sprinter Al LeConey was on a roll. He dashed the 100 yards with a winning time of 9.7 seconds, matching his week-old record. On the metric scale, 9.7 seconds equates to 10.6 seconds for 100 meters, which earned him a tied fourth place in the season's world rankings.
The jury of the meet announced after the race that the result would not be ratified due to excessive tailwind. However, the performance is included in the list of legal results in the statistical book Track and Field Performances through the Years.
In the 220 yards (straight track), LeConey raced to victory with a time of 21.3 seconds, equivalent to 21.7 seconds for 200 meters on a fully curved track. This result earned him second place in the world rankings. LeConey also inspired journalists, with one American writer describing his running style as that of a frightened antelope.
The defending champion of the 220 yards, Allen Woodring of Syracuse, had to withdraw from the race due to a hamstring strain. "A common sprinter's fate in America, where massage techniques are primitive," commented Harvard University coach Jaakko Mikkola harshly in a report to a Finnish sports journal.
Two years later, LeConey placed fifth in both the 100 and 200 meters at the 1924 U.S. Olympic Trials. Despite this, he was selected as the anchor for the 4x100 meter relay at the Paris Olympics.
In the 880 yards, the men went all out. Larry Brown from Pennsylvania won the IC4A title with a time of 1:55.2, equivalent to 1:54.6 for the metric distance. This secured him second place in the world rankings. Princeton's Reginald Johnson, who finished second in the Cambridge race, also made it into the top six of the season's rankings.
Leroy Brown of Dartmouth, the unofficial indoor world record holder for high jump, cleared 194.6 centimeters (6-4 1/2), earning fifth place in the world rankings. He continued to succeed in forthcoming years, winning silver in Paris Olympics.
In the hammer throw, Jack Merchant came close to a world-leading performance, throwing the hammer 52.17 meters (171-2). This was just six centimeters short of the world's second-best result, which Merchant had achieved a week earlier. Future Olympic champion Fred Tootell lingered behind the others, with a throw of 45.22 meters (148-4), securing third place.
The team competition was won for the second consecutive time by the University of California. The school can thank Jack Merchant for the trophy, as he amassed a total of 13 points for his alma mater from various throwing events.
Evening Star, June 15, 1922 (Jack Merchant Profile)
Uusi Suomi, June 17, 1922 (in Finnish)
Suomen Urheilulehti, June 19, 1922 (in Finnish)