 He won the high hurdles at the 1916 Penn Relays, again equaling Kelly's world record of 15.0, even though no records had been expected due to the slow grass track.He then broke the record in a dual meet against Iowa State on May 6, running 14.8; he also won the low hurdles, the 100 yd dash and the long jump.The following week Simpson equaled his new record in another dual meet; this time, he won four additional events, with his long jump mark of 23 ft  in (7.18 m) being a new Missouri Valley record.