Auburn juniors Ja’Kobe Tharp and Kayinsola Ajayi were named to The Bowerman Men’s Watch List in the most recent update announced by the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association on Mar. 26. This marks the third watch list of the 2026 season.
The recognition comes after both athletes won individual national championships at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships two weeks ago, helping Auburn tie for fourth place in the men’s team standings.
Tharp, who was a Bowerman finalist in 2025, secured victory in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.32 seconds. This performance broke collegiate, meet, and facility records previously held by Grant Holloway. His time ranks as the third fastest ever recorded globally and is also noted as the second fastest by an American hurdler. Tharp’s national title was his second consecutive indoors and third overall, including his outdoor 110-meter hurdles title last spring. His three individual national titles equal James Walker’s total and are one short of Harvey Glance’s school record of four titles. Tharp’s back-to-back indoor wins also match Willie Smith as only Auburn men to achieve this feat indoors; Smith won consecutive indoor titles in 1977 and ’78.
Ajayi claimed his first individual national title by winning the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.45 seconds, equaling a collegiate record he had tied two weeks earlier at the Southeastern Conference championship meet. The Nigerian native became Auburn’s first sprinter since Bryan Howard in 1997 to win a national sprint title at these championships when Howard took home gold in the men’s 55 meters. Sophomore Israel Okon contributed four points for Auburn with a fifth-place finish in that event.
Ajayi has now earned three NCAA titles overall, having previously been part of Auburn’s gold medal-winning teams in both the men’s outdoor four-by-100 meter relay at championship meets held during spring seasons of both 2024 and 2025.
