As a sophomore at Ohio State, Beetham won the 1935 Big Ten championship in the 880-yard (804.7 m) run. He also won the 880 yards in a dual meet against the University of Southern California on June 15, 1935; his winning time, 1:52.0, was the fastest in the world that year.[4][8] Beetham entered the 1935 NCAA championships as the favorite, but dropped out early on the second lap.[9]
In 1936 Beetham defended his Big Ten half-mile title in a meeting record 1:52.4 and won the NCAA 800-meter championship in 1:53.0.[10][11] At the national outdoor championships of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) a week before the Olympic Trials Beetham won a close race against John Woodruff; his winning time, 1:50.3, broke Ben Eastman's meeting record by one-tenth of a second.[12]: 81 [13]
The 1936 United States Olympic Trials were held at Randall's Island Stadium in New York City; Beetham entered the 800 meters as a leading favorite.[1][12]: 4, 81 He qualified for the Trials final by placing fourth in his heat.[12]: 81 In the final, Beetham stayed in the middle of the pack for the first lap; as he started his kick early on the second lap, he was spiked by Marmaduke Hobbs and fell, losing his chances to make the Olympic team.[1] He did not finish the race, which was won by Woodruff; his appeal for a solo time-trial re-run was turned down.[12]: 81
In 1937, his final year at Ohio State, Beetham repeated as Big Ten half-mile champion both indoors and outdoors; his winning time in the outdoor meet, 1:52.2, broke his own meeting record from the previous year.[14][15] He placed third at the 1937 NCAA championships as Woodruff won in a fast race; Beetham's time, 1:50.8 for 880 yards, was his lifetime best.[8][11]
Later life
Beetham continued running after graduating from Ohio State. He placed fifth in the AAU 800 meters in 1937 and third in 1938, but regained the championship in 1939; his winning time was 1:51.7.[5] He also won in 1940 (1:51.1) and 1941 (1:50.2), becoming a four-time national outdoor champion;[1][5] in addition, he won the 600 meters at the 1939 AAU indoor championships.[16] In August 1939 he anchored an American 4 × 800 metres relay team to an unofficial world record of 7:35.2 in a race against the French team in Paris.[17]: 146