AUBURN, Ala. - Hurdling sensation Ja’Kobe Tharp of the Auburn track & field team has been selected as one of three finalists for The Bowerman, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Tuesday afternoon.
The Bowerman is given to the top collegiate male and female track athlete of the year. Tharp joins Arkansas’ Jordan Anthony and Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel as finalists for the award.
Tharp has been named to The Bowerman Watch List nine times during his Auburn career and is the first Tiger in program history to be named a finalist for the award.
At the NCAA Outdoor Championship in June, Tharp captured his second national title of the year. He ran a personal best time of 13.05 in the 110m hurdles, which was the fifth fastest collegiately and the third fastest in the world at the time. Tharp became Auburn’s first national champion in the event since Ty Akins in 2007. He went on to earn First Team All-America honors.
His performance helped lead the Auburn men to a fourth-place finish at the outdoor championships. The Tigers brought home their third consecutive trophy on the men’s side after placing third at NCAA Indoors this year. The men were national runners-up at the outdoor championships last season.
At the SEC Outdoor Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, the sophomore claimed silver by breaking his school record in the 110m hurdles (13.15). He was the first male athlete to win two consecutive medals in the event since Ty Akins (2007 & 2008). He earned Second Team All-SEC.
The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native also had an impressive indoor campaign, capping off the season with a national title in the 60m hurdles. Tharp broke his own program record (7.45) to win Auburn’s first men’s indoor title since Olympian Donald Thomas took gold in high jump in 2007. His time was the eighth fastest in the world this year, and he was awarded First Team All-America distinction.
Racing in his first SEC Indoor Championships, Tharp finished first in the 60m hurdles, giving Auburn their first conference indoor gold since Ty Akins’ victory in 2008. His time of 7.48 set a meet record and broke his previous school record. He was later named to the All-SEC First Team.
Tharp owns eight of the nine fastest times in Auburn history in the indoor 60m hurdles.
After the indoor and outdoor seasons, Tharp was awarded the USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.
The Bowerman, named for former Oregon head track and field coach Bill Bowerman, was established in 2009 and is awarded annually. Last year’s recipients were Florida’s Parker Valby and Texas’ Leo Neugebauer.
Fan voting for The Bowerman begins Tuesday, July 8, and runs through Thursday, July 10. The Bowerman Presentation will take place in Grapevine, Texas, at the annual USTFCCCA Convention, Thursday, December 18.
To read more about the finalists, visit here.
Men’s Bowerman Finalists
Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ja'Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
Women’s Bowerman 2025 Finalists
Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico (Distance)
*Doris Lemngole, Alabama (Distance)
Savannah Sutherland, Michigan (Sprints/Hurdles)
* two-time semifinalist