No. 6 Auburn men ready to 'put on a show' at NCAA Outdoor Championships

AUBURN, Ala. – In his final Auburn meet, Makanakaishe Charamba hopes to help the Tigers claim the first-place trophy they came so close to winning last year.

“If we come back with a trophy, it’ll be a dream come true because I’ve been dreaming about times like this,” Charamba said. “Right now, I’m in a flow state, having fun and putting my team in the best position I can.”

After leading Auburn to a runner-up finish in 2024, Charamba and the Tigers return to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships Wednesday-Saturday. 

“We want to carry the momentum from last year to this year,” said Charamba, a member of Auburn’s 2024 4x100m relay national champion quartet. “Put on a show and execute the best we can and put ourselves in the best position possible for us to win a championship.”

Consisting of six sprinters and three throwers, Auburn’s men’s track and field team makes up for in impact what it lacks in numbers. 

“This group is phenomenal,” Charamba said. “Every day is work, work, work. Going into the championship, we’re executing what we’ve always been doing and going to put on a show.”

Charamba, who ranks No.1 in the nation in the 200m after running a school-record 19.92 at SEC outdoors, joins relay mates Dario Matau, Azeem Fahmi and Kayinsola Ajayi in the Tigers’ fast foursome, looking to repeat as NCAA champs in the 4x100. 

“The only difference is there’s pressure on us now whereas last year, we were an unknown,” assistant head coach Ken Harnden said. “There’s definitely a different level of experience and the summer contributed to that. They know what they’re getting into and they know how the game steps up every meet. It should serve us well to go out there and know what’s coming.”

“It’s been an honor to be part of the team,” Fahmi said. “The goal for this year is to run it back. We can see that we have a better team than last year so hopefully we can do our thing. We’ve been working for this. We want the pressure.”

Ajayi and freshman Israel Okon both qualified in the 100m dash. 

“I’ve been trusting my coach so I feel like I’m on the right path,” said Ajayi, who won the bronze in the 100m last year in addition to running the second leg of the 4x100m gold medal unit. “I’m ready. I’ve never regretted being a part of the Auburn family.” 

“They’re my second family,” Okon said. “They’re like brothers to me. I enjoy the atmosphere, the track and the community.”

After winning the 60m hurdles national title at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships, sophomore Ja’Kobe Tharp looks to become Auburn’s seventh athlete to win NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in the same year. 

A year ago, Tharp capped his phenomenal freshman season with a silver medal in the 110m hurdles at NCAA outdoors. 

“You’re never going to be perfect with the hurdles,” Tharp said. “It feels good to know I always have something to fix if something goes wrong. If I get a good start, it should be really good.”

A trio of throwers will represent Auburn at NCAAS, Kyle Brown and Kyle Moison in hammer, along with Seth Allen in discus, a transfer from Purdue who won the Big Ten championship in 2024. 

“It means the world to me,” said Allen, making his second appearance at NCAA outdoors. “Second time around, I usually break records and shatter expectations so I’m looking forward to doing that representing Auburn, hopefully scoring some nice points and bringing home that natty ring.”

For Brown and Moison, Wednesday’s 3:30 p.m. CT hammer throw will be the last event of their college careers.

“A lot of hardships, a lot of sacrifice going into this,” said Moison, making his second NCAA outdoors appearance. “I’m really excited to have that AU on my chest and leave it all out there one last time for Auburn.”

“To be on the biggest stage ending my career is something I’m super excited about,” said Brown, making his third NCAA outdoors appearance. “It’s a cool full-circle moment for us. I was (Kyle Moison’s) host on his recruiting visit, so we’re going out how we brought him in. A really cool opportunity for us. There’s much more in the tank and we’re ready to go.”

Assistant coach Pat Ebel applauds Auburn’s throwers for qualifying for their sport’s ultimate competition. 

“Kyle Brown has been here five years now,” Ebel said. “He’s a dream to coach. Kyle Moison is probably one of the best competitors I’ve ever had. If he has one throw left, that kid is in it every single time. Seth Allen won regionals last week with a new PR (60.95m). He’s seeded fourth and I know he’s ready to throw even bigger throws.”

Unlike a year ago, the Auburn men won’t be sneaking up on anyone in Eugene after a stunning ascent from 68th place in 2023 to national runner-up in 2024. 

“They see us coming us so the pressure is on,” Matau said. “We’re ready for the pressure. We’ve got to embrace it. A lot of people wish they were in this position. We push each other. We encourage each other. It’s been a really good group.”

“With them knowing we’re coming, they’re going to bring it,” Tharp said. “But we put a whole lot of work in this fall so I know we’re going to come that much harder this year too, so it’ll be no different.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer