College Career
In 1910, Courtney attended the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, where he equaled the interscholastic record in the 40-yard dash of 4 and 3/5 of a second while competing on a wooden track at the snow-bound college. In 1911, Courtney returned to Seattle and enrolled at the University of Washington where his sprinting speed continued to improve. After a number of impressive victories in the spring of 1912, a growing movement of Courtney’s Seattle fans persuaded the Seattle Athletic Club to send him to the west coast Olympic trials that May in California. During the trials on May 17 at Stanford University's track in Palo Alto, Courtney qualified for the Olympic team by winning the 100-meter dash, tying the then world Olympic record of 10.4 seconds which was set in 1908 by the South African sprinter Reggie Walker during the games in London. During the Olympic trials Courtney also won the 200-meter dash. By qualifying, Courtney became both the University of Washington's first Olympic athlete, and the first Olympic athlete from the Pacific Northwest.
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