NCAA

The United States collegiate championships were held for the second consecutive year in Chicago at Stagg Field. A total of 154 track and field athletes from 46 institutions participated in the meet, which took place after mid-June.

The most intense competition was in the long jump. Robert LeGendre from Georgetown University set a meet record with a leap of 7.39 meters (24-3), which was enough to rank second in the world at the end of the season. Brick Muller, who finished second, also impressed with a jump of 7.22 meters (23-8), placing him sixth in the world rankings.

Dr. LeGendre, who died young, perhaps made a small miscalculation in the Olympic year of 1924. He participated in the pentathlon, where he set a world record in the long jump with a leap of 7.76 meters (25-5). Naturally, this result would have won the Olympic gold in the individual event. In the pentathlon, however, LeGendre won the bronze medal in a competition won by Eero Lehtonen of Finland.

The editors at Finnish Helsingin Sanomat were skeptical about LeGendre's NCAA results. After all, how could a pentathlete jump so far?

Paulu Becames a Double Winner Despite War Injuries

Len Paulu, of Czech descent from Grinnell, sprinted to victory in both the 100 and 220 yards, a notable achievement for someone severely wounded in World War I. On the 100 yards dash, Paulu earned his second consecutive NCAA championship.

Jack Merchant of the University of California scored points for his school by winning both the shot put and the hammer throw. In the long jump, he also landed the fourth farthest. He belongs to a category of unusual event switches: at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, he competed in the long jump, and four years later in Paris, he was swinging the ball. 

Future double Olympic champion Harold Osborn earned his first collegiate championship medal. He shared the high jump victory with Notre Dame’s Johnny Murphy.

An invitational mile race was held as a special event. Ray Watson and Joie Ray from Illinois fought for victory. Ray held a tenacious lead until the 1500-meter mark, when Watson surged on the final stretch to take the victory and claim his second win against Ville Ritola's tough rival.

The balance of power began to shift in the long hurdles. The University of Iowa's Charles Brookins surged to victory in the 220-yard hurdles after August Desch, who had dominated the twice-as-long hurdle distance in 1921, fell while leading at the final barrier.

The team competition was won by the University of California, Berkeley—thanks in no small part to the points Jack Merchant earned in the throwing events. California achieved a double victory in 1922, as the IC4A trophy also traveled home with the team to Berkeley.