AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn track & field hurdling sensation Ja’Kobe Tharp returns to the esteemed Bowerman Watch List for the final update this season, while senior Makanakaishe Charamba is receiving votes, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Thursday afternoon.
This will be Tharp’s seventh appearance on the watch list this year, making his first debut during the 2024 outdoor season.
The Murfreesboro, Tennessee native joins four other male athletes in program history to be named to the watch list, including Harry Adams (2013), Nathon Allen (2018), Akeem Bloomfield (2018) and Keyshawn Strachan (2023).
Racing at the Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, Tharp secured his spot at NCAAs in Eugene, Oregon, in the 110m hurdles via the NCAA East Preliminaries. He ran the top time of the day in the race, breaking his own program record by one-hundredth of a second (13.14). His time is the third fastest in the country.
At the SEC Outdoor Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, he broke his then school record in the 110m hurdles, crossing the line in 13.15 to take silver. Tharp, who won the SEC title as a freshman, was the first Tiger to medal back-to-back in the event since Ty Akins (2007 & 2008). He was named to the All-SEC Men’s Second Team for his efforts.
For the third time this season, Charamba is receiving votes for the Watch List.
The sprinter from Harare, Zimbabwe, punched his ticket to nationals in two separate events at the NCAA East Preliminaries. Charamba clocked a wind-aided time of 19.79 (+2.4 m/s) in the 200m. It was the fastest time of the day in the event.
Charamba also qualified in the men’s 4x100m relay. He ran the anchor leg, and the quartet finished second overall and automatically qualified for nationals (38.51). The relay returns to Oregon in the hopes of defending their national title.
At the conference championships, Charamba took silver for Auburn, crossing the 200m line in 20.08. While racing in the preliminary round of the event, Charamba broke his own program record as well as his native Zimbabwe’s national record (19.92). That is the fastest wind legal time in the NCAA and the sixth fastest time in the world this year. He was also named to the All-SEC Men’s Second Team.
The highly acclaimed award debuted in 2009 and is named after former Oregon Head Coach Bill Bowerman. It is the highest award given in collegiate track and field to the top male and female athlete at the conclusion of the season. Texas’ Leo Neugebauer and Florida’s Parker Valby were last year’s recipients.
The Bowerman semifinalists will be revealed on Wednesday, June 25, for the women and Thursday, June 26 for the men after the conclusion of the outdoor season.
To view a full list of the Pre-Nationals Watch List, visit here.
Up Next
Tharp and Charamba will set their sights on the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at historic Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, June 11-14.