Meredith, "Ted" (James E.)
Track and Field
b. Nov. 14, 1892, Chester Heights, PA
d. Nov. 2, 1957
Meredith had his greatest year in 1912, when he was a senior at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. He set interscholastic records of 49.2 seconds in the 440-yard run and 1:55.0 in the 880-yard.
After graduating, Meredith qualified for the U. S. Olympic team and won a gold medal in the 800-meter run with a world record 1:51.9. He ran on to the 880-yard mark and also set a world record for that distance, with a 1:52.5. He finished only fourth in the 400-meter, but he won a second gold medal as a member of the 4 by 400-meter relay team.
That fall, Meredith entered the University of Pennsylvania. He was the IC4A 400-meter champion from 1914 through 1916 and the 880-yard champion in 1914 and 1915. He also won the AAU 440-yard title in 1914 and 1915. In 1916, he set a world record in the 440 of 47.6 seconds, which wasn't broken until 1928. His world record time in the 800-meter, set at the 1912 Olympics, stood until 1926.
Meredith retired from competition in 1917 and served in the Army during World War I. He made a comeback for the 1920 Olympics, where he was eliminated in the 400-meter trials and ran on the 4 by 400-meter relay team that finished fourth.