AUBURN, Ala. — Ken Harnden, a seven-time national assistant coach of the year, including four times at Auburn, has been elevated to head coach of the Tigers’ track and field program, athletics director John Cohen announced Monday.
A two-time Olympian and veteran sprints coach, Harnden has made historic impact since joining Auburn in July 2022 as an assistant head coach, helping the Tigers to four consecutive trophies at the NCAA championships including five top-six finishes.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Auburn track and field program and want to thank Athletic Director John Cohen, President Roberts, and the Auburn administration for their trust and support,” Harnden said.
Named the USTFCCCA Division I Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year three consecutive times outdoors, Harnden’s Auburn sprinters have collectively won six individual national championships, two relay national titles and six Southeastern Conference titles. In his four years on the Plains, of the 168 points scored by the Tiger men at NCAA indoor and outdoor meets, an amazing 96 percent (161 points) came from Harnden-coached athletes.
With 23 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience under his belt, Harnden's student-athletes have earned 31 individual NCAA championships, four relay national titles and more than 200 first team All-America honors. Additionally, Harnden has coached 24 Olympians, been a part of five NCAA team championships and is a seven-time winner of the USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year award.
I have always believed in surrounding yourself with great people. People who are committed to hard work, the selfless pursuit of dreams and competing to win,” Harnden said. “If you trust the person next to you, trust your training, be part of something bigger than you, and do the hard things, it will resonate for the rest of your life. War Eagle!
At Auburn, Harnden developed world record hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp, who is a two-time finalist for The Bowerman Award, presented annually to the nation’s top male and female track athlete. He has also had three athletes earn Southeastern Conference Runner of the Year honors and break three collegiate records.
“Coach Harnden earned the opportunity to lead Auburn’s track and field program by developing elite student-athletes and delivering exceptional results throughout his career – especially the past four seasons on the Plains,” Cohen said. “Under Coach Harnden’s leadership, Auburn track and field is positioned to continue to excel on the national stage.”
This past year, Harnden coached NCAA champions Tharp and Kayinsola Ajayi, who swept the sprint hurdles and short sprint national championships both indoors and outdoors. Tharp won his fourth straight hurdles national title at the 2026 outdoor championships, winning the 110-meter hurdles after breaking the world record in the event during the semifinals round with a 12.75. It was the first time in 50 years that a world record had been broken at the NCAA championships.
Ajayi meanwhile broke the 60-meter collegiate record indoors in 6.45 en route to a gold medal. The Nigerian followed with another national title outdoors at 100 meters, winning the school’s first title in the event since Stanley Floyd in 1980. Ajayi became just the second sprinter in school history to sweep the indoor and outdoor sprint titles, joining Harvey Glance, who won both in 1976. The men’s 4x100-meter relay also broke a collegiate record in the semifinals with a time of 37.75. For his efforts, Harnden was named the national men’s outdoor assistant coach of the year for the third straight year.
Hosting the Southeastern Conference Championships at Hutsell-Rosen Track this year, Tharp won his third career SEC title, claiming the 110 hurdles, while the 4x100-meter relay also won gold at the conference level for the first time in 29 years.
In 2025, Harnden’s sprint group led Auburn to a third-place finish indoors and a fourth-place trophy outdoors behind Tharp’s winning performances in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and 110-meter hurdles outdoors. The 4x100 relay of Azeem Fahmi, Ajayi, Dario Matau and Makanakishe Charamba won the program’s second consecutive NCAA outdoor title clocking a 37.97 to equal the meet record.
Tharp won the USATF Championships in the summer of 2025 at just 20 years old, advancing to the World Championships in Tokyo where he finished sixth. He was one of five Harnden sprinters racing at the World Championships, joining Ajayi, Charamba, Israel Okon and Vimbayi Maisvorewa.
Harnden earned national and south region assistant coach of the year honors after he helped lead the men to a second-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Of the 40 points the men earned at NCAAs, 36 came from his unit, led by the NCAA champion 4x100m relay team.
Fahmi, Ajayi, Matau and Charamba combined to win the men’s 4x100m national title after posting a school-record time of 38.03, the third fastest collegiate time ever. Favour Ashe and Ajayi finish second and third, respectively, in the men’s 100m dash at nationals, marking a first in Auburn sprints history at NCAAs.
As a true freshman, Tharp burst onto the national scene in 2024, winning an SEC outdoor championship in the 110m hurdles while setting an American Junior (U20) record that had previously stood for 46 years. Tharp became Auburn’s first SEC champion in the event since Ty Akins in 2007 and the first Tiger freshman to win a conference outdoor title since 2011.
Tharp, who broke Auburn’s school record at the SEC outdoor meet, continued his amazing rookie campaign by capturing silver in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and followed that by winning a pair of gold medals at the USATF U20 Championships in July and at the World Athletics U20 Championships in August.
Harnden’s sprinters won two SEC titles in 2024 as Ajayi joined Tharp, winning the 60m indoor SEC title. Ajayi became Auburn’s first male freshman to win a league indoor title in 24 years and was named SEC Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year. Harnden’s sprinters established six outdoor school records in 2024.
During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Ajayi, Ashe, Charamba and Fahmi all competed in the Paris games with Charamba making it to the finals of the men’s 200m dash.
In three years at Tennessee, Harnden guided the Vols to multiple SEC medals in three events: the 60m, 200m and 4x400m relay. Harnden's group also contributed on the national stage, snagging points at NCAAs in each of his three seasons, highlighted by a bronze medal in the men's 4x400 at 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Numerous student-athletes have achieved world-class times under Harnden's watch.
Eight of his sprinters have broken the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter dash. His short sprints coaching prowess is also exemplified in the 110-meter hurdles with a four-time NCAA champion and world record holder, and in the 200 meters with six NCAA individual championships in the event.
Among that group is Walter Dix, a six-time NCAA champion and 18-time All-American for Florida State. He was a bronze medalist in the 100m and 200m at the 2008 Olympics and remains the NCAA record holder in the 200m (19.69).
Harnden also coached 2011 Bowerman Award winner Ngoni Makusha, who became the fifth man in NCAA history to win the 100m and long jump at the same championship. Makusha also set the then-NCAA record in the 100m (9.89).
Harnden represented Zimbabwe in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games in the 400m hurdles, and he competed in the event three times at the IAAF World Championships, making the finals twice. He holds Zimbabwe's national record in the 400m hurdles (48.05).
On the collegiate stage, Harnden competed for North Carolina, where he won the 1995 NCAA title in the 400m hurdles. He was also part of the 1995 NCAA indoor champion 4x400m relay team.