“ANCIENT” IC4A CHAMPIONSHIPS
SHOW NEW LIFE IN 150TH YEAR
By ELLIOTT DENMAN
At age 92 and a quarter, I feel immensely qualified for membership in the Antiquities Division of the Track and Field Writers of America.
I thus felt right at home, last Sunday (April 19), sitting through the cold drizzle of the second and concluding day of the Antiquities Championships of All-American Undergraduate Track and Field. Yes, the 150th anniversary meet and 149th staging of the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America Championships (known, of course, to the track world as IC4A).
The locale was oozing antiquity, too – the Rutgers University campus in Piscataway, New Jersey, just a few miles distant from the site of the first game of American football – Rutgers 6, Princeton 4, November 6, 1869 – don’t you remember?
They didn’t make much of a big deal of this 150th Anniversary status – but they should ha e. Heck, it was American Track and Field’s closest thing to the 250th birthday of America itself. But never mind, they’ll get the chance to salute the 150th actual IC4A meet next April, 2027.
(To explain these calendar calculations: 2025 was the IC4A’s actual 150th birthday year, and 2026 the anniversary year, but the 1917 IC4A was canceled by the onset of World War One; and the 2020 IC4A was erased by the onset of the Covid pandemic.)
Way back when, at IC4A’s birth, it was a sideshow to the 1875 Intercollegiate Rowing Championship. But it stepped out on its own in 18. And notice the “amateur athletes” in its title – this was long before the concept of professional coaches getting involved in the fray. The students ran it themselves…and they were definitely amateurs. No? As far distant as the first journey to Saturn is now.
Well, it grew and grew and grew – into one of the biggest things going in all of college sports.
But the birth of the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 1921 was to signal the IC4A’s gradual ouster from its King of the Hill status.
Oh, there have been many wonderful IC4A meets over the year. Some of the greatest names in track and field history have been IC4A titlists – such golden oldies as Bernie Wefers, Alvin Kraenzlin, Ralph Craig, Frank Wykoff, Barney Ewell, Andy Stanfield, Lindy Remigino, Ted Meredith, Bill Carr, Ben Eastman, Charley Jenkins, Phil Edwards, Bill Bonthron, John Woodruff, Tom Courtney, Gene Venzke, Leslie MacMitchell, Lou Zamperini, Ron Delany, Horace Ashenfelter, Charley Moore, Jim Fuchs, Fred Tootell, Harold Connolly… and so many more.
In 1984, the guys of the IC4A meet were joined by the gals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) women’s to form a brilliant twin bill.
But the eventual emergence of the NCAA Regionals/First Round qualifying meet also squeezed out optimal IC4A/ECAC calendar dates, and it’s been downhill sledding ever since.
Now the good news – hopefully/ promisingly for IC4A/ECACers – a solution is at hand. That solution – advance all three IC4A/ECAC title dates – Cross Country to October, Indoors to February, Outdoors to April – by a month to give every member school additional scheduling options.
“We’re certainly not going to get everybody back, we know that, but we hope to get a lot more than we’vewe’vethe last few years,” sai” Joe Compagni, who brought an array of major honors to Monmouth University, in his 24-year term as Hawks’ coach, was president of the IC4A Coaches Association, and continues playing a major role in the IC4A Games Committee.
“It worked well,” said Compagni, after the 2026 Outdoor IC4A’IC4A’s’ECAC’s in the booth. “We “had 400 more athletes than the previous year, and Rutgers was a great host.”
“Rutgers Head Coach Bobby Farrell set Knight athletes, staff, and university support team were exactly that. And downright dominating, too.
The Rutgers men rolled up 160 points to take RU’s first IC4A team title since 2005. The Rutgers women netted 161 to dominate the ECAC meet. All told, Rutgers athletes claimed 14 gold medals.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to host this championship,” said Coach Farrell. “It’s “It’s a historic meet. Both teams competed very well and overcame some tough conditions (on the Sunday slat ). We’re proud to bring both titles back to Rutgers.”
For example:
RU’s Kevin O’Sullivan cleared 18-4 ½ (5.60 meters) and thus took back his school record in the pole vault after his brother Brian broke the previous record at the Rutgers Relays a week earlier. Brian settled for second at 18-0 ½ (5.50), and teammate Ryan Merlino soared 17-8 ½ (5.40) in third. Stats folks: Was that an all-time collegiate same-day best 1-2-3?
RU’s Sincere Robinson sizzled in the jumps, LJing 8.13 (26-8 ¼) and HJing 6-6 ¾ (2.0 ). Does that 8.13 figure sound familiar? It was the precise mark Jesse Owens achieved in May 1935, and it would remain a world record for 25 years. A brilliant LJ silver medalist back of Robinson was teammate Donavan Anderson at 25-10 ½ (7.88)
Rutgers also went 1-2 in the triple jump as Joseph Oduro leaped 49′ 7 ¼ (15.1′) with Anderson second at 49- (15.06). Oh, and Malachi Yehudah finished second in the high jump at 7-1 (2.16)
Those RU jumps coaches, Corey Crawford and PV specialist Brad Jelmert, are obviously working wonders.
Difficult weather slowed the runners, but Rutgers still came through with wins in the 100 (Daniel Duncan 10.50), 400 hurdles (Bryce Tucker 52.57), 3000 (Ryan Smith 8:40.64), and 10,000 (Sean Matthews 31:26.11)
Leading the Rutgers women were gold medalists high jumper Jenovia Logan (5-9 1/4/ 1.76), shot putter Tey’ana Ames, 53-2.24/16.22m. Of course, the visitors to Piscataway had plenty to cheer about, too.
Some other men’s excellence: Duquesne’s Nick Keller (47.17 400); Fairleigh Dickinson’s Adam Lopez (1:51.38), Army West Point’s Austin Hernandez (14.42 in the 1100H) after Princeton’s Easton Tan went 13.88 in the trials; Princeton’s Marcelo Roman (9:11.51 steeplechase); FDU’s Ethan Ruffin (7-1, 2.16 igh jump); Princeton’s Tyler Konopka (60-8, 18.50 shot put) and Bucknell’s Keenan LaMontagne (173-0, 52.44 discus.)
Monmouth’s Maggie Hansen whirled the discus 165-2(50.35), and teammate Emily Simko won the 3000 (9:37.50). Sacred Heart’s Nyahingiva Noiva dashed 100 in 11.50.
Next in line behind Rutgers’ 160 points in IC4A men’s team scoring were Sacred Heart (78.5), Bucknell (71), Monmouth (69.5), Wagner (620 and Army West Point (59). Back of Rutgers’ 161 in the ECAC were Monmouth (127.5), Duquesne (112.5). Bucknell (69) and Lehigh (57)
Bottom lines: Will the IC4A/ECAC Championships ever again rank as Number One in the nation? Surely not.
But after a century and a half, is the grand old event alive and well, still living and breathing? Yes, indeed, and there’s a lot that the meat will get healthier in the years ahead.
NOTE: NYU senior Elliott Denman won the (non-scoring) one-mile racewalk at the 1956 IC4A Indoor Championships at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
Complete Results for the IC4A 2026 Outdoor Championships, results on AthleticLIVE.com, timing by Blue Ridge Timing: