Auburn track and field will send eight athletes to the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Center on the University of Arkansas campus, according to a Mar. 12 announcement. The two-day meet in Fayetteville begins Friday, March 14.
The event is significant as Auburn aims to secure top-20 finishes in both men’s and women’s team standings, with both programs currently ranked No. 18 by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Head coach Leroy Burrell said, “I’m excited about the group we’ve got. Everyone traveling has the potential to score, so we’ve got to put our best efforts on the track this weekend.” The Tigers’ roster includes six sprinters and two throwers, highlighted by Ja’Kobe Tharp, defending national champion in the 60-meter hurdles and a Bowerman Award finalist. Tharp will compete in his semifinal round on Friday evening.
Burrell said of Tharp’s prospects: “Ja’Kobe probably has one of the deepest hurdle fields to content with. The good thing is, he’s at the top of that field and is the defending champion. When you put a title on the line for Ja’Kobe, he’s difficult to beat.”
On the women’s side, senior Danae Nembhard and junior Ana-Liese Torian will compete in the 60-meter hurdles after setting school records at SEC Indoor; Nembhard makes her NCAA indoor debut while Torian returns after finishing thirteenth last year. “We have two really competitive hurdlers with Danae and Ala-Liese,” Burrell said. “Both have the potential to score and score big for us. They were second and sixth at SECs and it’s going to be a heck of a competition.”
Auburn is also notable for being the only team with three athletes—Kayinsola Ajayi, Israel Okon, and Omari Lewis—in the men’s 60-meter dash. Ajayi recently won an SEC title while equaling a collegiate record time of 6.45 seconds.
“The men’s 60 is where we are going to really make things happen in terms of scoring points,” Burrell said. “Between Ajayi, Israel and Omari, we think we have a chance of sending two or three to the finals.”
For shot put events, senior Megan Hague—who broke her own school record en route to winning an SEC title—and sophomore Camryn Massey will represent Auburn; this marks the first time Auburn has had two women compete in shot put at indoor nationals in one year.
“We have Megan and Camryn in the shot put, which gives us a good 1-2 punch there,” Burrell said. “Megan has had an outstanding season and has a chance to compete for the podium.”
Looking ahead to team results, Burrell added: “If we do everything we’re capable of, we have a chance to finish in the top 20 on the women’s team scoring… It’s a similar situation on the men’s side as well… We have to dominate the 60 and if Ja’Kobe does his part, we have a chance to score 20 points and finish in the top 20.”
The championships will be televised on ESPN+, with live statistics available online.
