AUBURN, Alabama--Auburn juniors Ja’Kobe Tharp and Kayinsola Ajayi have both been named to The Bowerman Men's Watch List most recent update, the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association announced Thursday. The watch list is the third of the 2026 season.
Both won individual national championships in record-breaking fashion to help the Tigers finish tied for fourth in the men’s team standings at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships two weeks ago.
A Bowerman finalist in 2025, Tharp won the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.32, breaking the collegiate, meet and facility record previously held by Grant Holloway. The time was the third fastest ever in the world and the second fastest ever by an American hurdler.
The national title was Tharp’s second consecutive indoors and third overall, including his outdoor 110m hurdles title last spring. His three individual national titles equaled James Walker’s and are one shy of Harvey Glance’s school record of four.
The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native’s back-to-back indoor titles also matched Willie Smith as the only Auburn men to accomplish the feat indoors. Smith won the 440y titles in 1977 and ’78.
Ajayi claimed his first national title, winning the men’s 60m dash in 6.45, equaling the collegiate record he tied two weeks ago while winning the SEC title. The Nigerian native became Auburn’s first sprinter to win a national title since 1997 when Bryan Howard won the 55m title. Sophomore Israel Okon gave the Tigers four points towards the team standings with a fifth place showing in the 60 after finishing in 6.57.
The Nigerian native has now won three NCAA titles as he was a member of Auburn's gold medal winning 4x100m relays at the 2024 and 2025 outdoor championships.