The 1923 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and served as the national championships in outdoor track and field for the United States. The year marked the first ever women's U.S. track and field championships.
The men's edition was held at Stagg Field in Chicago, Illinois, and it took place September 1. The women's meet was held separately at Weequahic Park in Newark, New Jersey, on September 29.
Men's competition At the men's championships, meet records were broken in the high jump, pole vault, discus, and javelin.
Women's competition The women's competition was the first national track and field championships for women in the United States. The tournament was held on 29 September 1923 at Weequahic Park in Newark, New Jersey.
Background After the initial Women's World Games in 1922 in Paris and the three Women's Olympiads (1921 Women's Olympiad, 1922 Women's Olympiad and 1923 Women's World Games) in Monaco, interest in women's sports grew internationally. In 1922, the Women's Amateur Athletic Association (WAAA) was founded in the United Kingdom. The WAAA organised the first official British women's championships in track and field (WAAA Championships) on 18 August 1923 at the Oxo Sports Ground in Downham outside London.
In the United States, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was founded in 1888, and held its first national championship for women in the sport of swimming in 1916. In 1922, try-outs for the 1922 Women's World Games were held on 13 May at Oaksmere School in Mamaroneck, New York. Some historians consider this event to be the first "national" women's track meet.
In 1923, the AAU sponsored the first official American women's championships in track and field.
Events The meet was held on 29 September 1923 at Weequahic Park in Newark, New Jersey. Female athletes for the 1923 games also trained at Weequahic Park.
The athletes competed in 11 events: running 50 yards, 100 yards, relay race 4x110 yards, hurdling 60 yards, high jump, long jump, discus throw, shot put, javelin, baseball throw (softball throw) and basketball throw. The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports.
Results Men 100 yards Loren Murchison 10.1 Albert Washington Chester Bowman 220 yards Loren Murchison 22.3 Frederick Lovejoy Manville Lechnicht 440 yards Horatio Fitch 50.0 Arthur Wolters Hilding Hagen 880 yards Ray Watson 1:57.2 Alan Helffrich 1 yard behind James Connolly 1 mile Joseph Ray 4:18.0 Ray Buker Lloyd Hahn 5 miles Earl Johnson 26:05.4 Verne Booth James Henigan 120 yards hurdles Karl Anderson 15.1 Ivan Riley Daniel Kinsey 440 yards hurdles Ivan Riley 55.4 John Norton Richard Oram 2 miles steeplechase 10:45.6 Marvin Rick Russell Payne High jump LeRoy Brown 1.97 m Harold Osborn 1.92 m Richmond Landon 1.92 m Pole vault Edwin Myers 3.99 m Edward Knourek 3.81 m James Brooker 3.81 m Long jump William DeHart Hubbard 7.51 m Robert LeGendre 7.10 m Edward Gourdin 7.05 m Triple jump William DeHart Hubbard 14.34 m Kaufman Geist 14.27 m Anthony Plansky 13.78 m Shot put Orville Wanzer 14.34 m Charles Eastman 14.10 m Clarence Houser 14.04 m Discus throw Thomas Lieb 46.12 m Augustus Pope 45.19 m Clarence Houser 45.01 m Hammer throw Fredrick Tootell 52.90 m Matthew McGrath 50.33 m Basil Bennett 48.27 m Javelin throw Harry Hoffman 59.32 m Harry Frieda 58.21 m Flint Hanner 55.90 m Decathlon Harold Osborn 7351.89 pts Harry Frieda 6760.06 pts Emerson Norton 6583.60 pts 220 yards hurdles Charles Brookins 24.5 Weight throw for distance Matt McGrath 11.58 m
Women 50 yds Marion McCartie City Bank Club 6,06sec Frances Ruppert Meadowbrook Club Mabel Steel Camp Alamo 100 yds Frances Ruppert Meadowbrook Club 12,0 sec Marion McCartie City Bank Club Madeline Adams Meadowbrook Club Relay 4x110 yds Meadowbrook Club Philadelphia 52,4 sec City Bank Club New York Board of Recreation Paterson, NJ Hurdling 60 yds Hazel Kirk Prudential Insurance 9,6 sec Esther Behring Prudential Insurance Rose Garlock Newark Normal School High jump Catherine Wright Bridgeport A.C. 4 ft 7½ in Helen Dinnehey Shanahan CC 4 ft 6 ¼ in Ida Robinson Philadelphia Turngemeinde 4 ft 5 ¼ inLong jump Helen Dinnehey Shanahan CC 15 ft 4 in Alice Adams Prudential Insurance 15 ft ½ in Florence Bitner Meadowbrook Club 14 ftDiscus throw Babe Wolbert UNAT 71 ft 9½ in Roberta Ranck Philadelphia Turngemeinde 70 ft 10 in Carrie Gerold Bridgeport A.C. 65 ft 10½ inShot put 8 lb Bertha Christophel GATC 30 ft 10½ in Roberta Ranck Philadelphia Turngemeinde 29 ft 10 5/8 in Gladys Booth Prudential Insurance 28 ft 3 inJavelin throw Roberta Ranck Philadelphia Turngemeinde 59 ft 7¾ in Jeanette Casper Bridgeport A.C. 59 ft 1½ in Gladys Booth Prudential Insurance 58 ft 8 inSoftball throw Elinor Churchill Robinson F.S. 234 ft 5¾ in Mildred Crotty Bridgeport A.C 222 ft 9½ in Grace Castor Philadelphia Turngemeinde 204 ft 4 inBasketball throw Esther Behring Prudential Insurance 87 ft 6 in Elinor Churchill Robinson F.S. 86 ft 8 in Grace Castor Philadelphia Turngemeinde 80 ft 7 in
Elinor Churchill's baseball throw of 234 feet, 5 ¾ inches also was a new world record, improving her record set the previous year by more than 10 feet.
See also 1923 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships List of USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners (men) List of USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners (women)
References
Results
External links Outdoor Track & Field Champions (USA Track & Field)