AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn track & field’s reigning NCAA indoor 60m hurdles champion Ja’Kobe Tharp remains on the esteemed Bowerman Watch List while sophomore Kayinsola Ajayi and senior Makanakaishe Charamba are receiving votes, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Thursday afternoon.
Tharp has been named to his sixth consecutive watch list, making his first appearance during the 2024 outdoor season.
The Bowerman is named after former Oregon Head Coach Bill Bowerman and is awarded to the most outstanding male and female track & field athlete in the nation at the conclusion of the season. Last year’s recipients were Florida’s Parker Valby and Texas’ Leo Neugebauer.
The All-American has competed in three meets this season for the Tigers. At the LSU Invitational, Tharp ran 13.35 in the 110m hurdles. His time is the seventh fastest in the country.
Tharp won an individual title in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships (7.45), breaking his own program record with the fifth fastest time in collegiate history. He went on to be named the USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.
At the SEC Indoor Championships in February, Tharp took the SEC 60m hurdles individual title in Bryan-College Station, Texas at the R.A. “Murray” Fasken ‘38 Indoor Track & Field facility. With a time of 7.48, he broke the facility record and brought home Auburn’s first gold medal in the event since Ty Akins won in 2008.
Tharp joins five other male athletes in program history to be listed on the watch list, including Harry Adams (2013), Nathon Allen (2018), Akeem Bloomfield (2018) and Keyshawn Strachan (2023).
Charamba and Ajayi are receiving votes, with the latter making his debut on the watch list.
Charamba took silver at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200m (20.16) and gold at the conference championships (20.13). His time of 20.13 was the seventh fastest time ever in the event.
Competing at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, Charamba delivered the NCAA-leading time of 19.99 in the 200m. His time is the only sub-20-second performance in the country so far this outdoor season. The Harare, Zimbabwe native holds the fourth fastest time in the world this year and it was just four hundredths shy of his school record (19.95).
Charamba also anchored the 4x100m relay while in Gainesville. The quartet ran the fastest time in the NCAA and the sixth fastest in the world (38.39).
Ajayi ran the second leg of the NCAA-leading 4x100m relay (38.39). He also ran in the 100m dash in Gainesville, delivering the fifth fastest time in the country this year (9.96) and the second fastest in school history.
At the indoor championships, Ajayi brought home silver, crossing the line in 6.52.
The trio of sprinters helped lead the men’s team to a third-place finish at the indoor national championships. This was the second consecutive trophy for the men after taking second at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
To view a full list of the Bowerman Update, visit here.
Up Next
Ajayi, Charamba, Tharp and the Tigers will be back in action at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Lexington, Kentucky May 15-17.