Trio of Tigers win SEC Individual Championships

Trio of Tigers win SEC Individual ChampionshipsTrio of Tigers win SEC Individual Championships

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Three Auburn athletes won individual titles on the third and final day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field meet Saturday as senior Megan Hague and juniors Kayinsola Ajayi and Ja’Kobe Tharp each took gold in their respective events. 

Ajayi won the men’s 60m title in historic fashion, equaling the collegiate record of 6.45 to win his second SEC gold in the event after winning two years ago as a freshman. Ajayi got a strong start out of the blocks and did not look back has he easily won, outdistancing Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins who took the silver in 6.53, while teammate Israel Okon won the bronze in 6.54. Omari Lewis was sixth for the Tigers, crossing in 6.61.

Tharp captured his second consecutive indoor title in the 60m hurdles as the junior overcame an early deficit to win in 7.48, two hundredths ahead of Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott. He became the first SEC hurdler since Grant Holloway to win back-to-back titles and the first Auburn athlete since thrower Cory Martin in 2006 and 2007 to win indoor league crowns in consecutive years.

Senior Megan Hague had a massive showing as she broke her own school record on two of six throws in the shot put to win her first gold at the conference meet. On her second throw, Hague threw 18.73m/61-5.5 which was good enough to win the meet. The Niceville, Fla., native surpassed that distance on her fifth throw with an impressive toss of 18.89m/61-11.75 to break the facility record ad outdistance Ole Miss’ Akaoma Odeluga by nearly eight inches. Teammate Camryn Massey finished fifth in the event with a personal-best mark of 17.15m/56-3.25.

In the women’s 60m hurdles, senior Danae Nembhard won the silver medal with a time of 7.93, just two hundredths off her school record time that she and Ana-Liese Torian ran in Friday’s prelims. Torian was sixth overall after posting a time of 8.05.

Auburn finished 10th in both the men’s and women’s team standings as the men finished with 34 points and the women with 33. Arkansas won the men’s team title, while Florida took the women’s title.

The Tigers will now await NCAA Championship berths as the top 16 individuals in each event across the country will qualify for nationals in Fayetteville, Ark., in two weeks.

 

2026 SEC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

FASKEN INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS

Saturday, February 28

 

Women’s Shot Put

1. Megan Hague                           18.89m/61-11.75            PR, SR, FR

5. Camryn Massey                         17.15m/56-3.25            PR

Men’s Shot Put

12. Matthew Rueff                        18.23m/59-9.75

Women’s Mile

9. Camila Gomes                                           4:43.37

Men’s 60m

1. Kayinsola Ajayi                                               6.45            PR, SR, FR, =CR

3. Israel Okon                                                     6.54            

6. Omari Lewis                                                   6.61

Women’s 60m Hurdles

2. Danae Nembhard                                           7.93

6. Ana-Liese Torian                                            8.05            

Men’s 60m Hurdles

1. Ja’Kobe Tharp                                                 7.48

Men’s 200m

Israel Okon                                                         DNS

Women’s 3000m

31. Gene Coetzee                                          9:30.50

Men’s 3000m

26. Nickson Chebii                                       8:07.09

30. Joshua Kosgei                                        8:09.58            PR

43. Evan Hill                                                  8:24.69

 

Key: 

PR: Personal Record

SR: School Record

FR: Facility Record

CR: Collegiate Record