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Charamba named SEC men's runner of the year
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One of Zimbabwe's top sprinters, Makanakaishe Charamba, has become a cult hero at Auburn University in the United States after being named the 2025 SEC Men's Runner of the Year on Wednesday.
According to reports from Birmingham, Alabama, Auburn track and field senior Charamba and freshman Israel Okon were selected as the 2025 SEC Men's Runner of the Year and SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Year, respectively.
Charamba, an Olympic finalist in the men's 200m event at the Paris Games, won the SEC individual title in the 200m with a time of 20.13 seconds. His time was the fastest indoor 200m in the world this year and the seventh fastest in history. He broke the SEC Indoor Championships meet record and the Texas A&M facility record. His win marked Auburn's first 200m SEC title since American Olympian Coby Miller won in 2000.
Charamba now holds the five fastest 200m times in Auburn history and is the programme's first-ever male SEC Runner of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track.
“Charamba had an amazing season,” Auburn track & field head coach Leroy Burrell said. “To finish the season with three competitions under 20.20 is some outstanding running. It is something that you do not see often with the indoor 200m.”
In the men's 60m dash, Okon ran 6.51 in the preliminary round, matching the 24-year-old world Under-20 record set by Mark Lewis-Francis of Great Britain in 2001. He had the fastest qualifying time in the preliminaries, tied for the fastest time in the NCAA this year, and broke the Auburn freshman record. In the finals, Okon claimed silver (6.55).
Charamba was named First Team All-SEC, while Okon was named to Second Team All-SEC. The Auburn men's team finished sixth overall, their highest placement since 2013, and scored 47 points, their most since 2011.
At their last competition, Charamba and Okon competed at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where both earned First Team All-America honors and helped lead Auburn to a third-place finish. Charamba took silver in the 200m (20.16), achieving the programme's best finish in the event since Miller's title win in 1999.
Meanwhile, nine Auburn University athletes received All-America honors following their performances at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, as announced by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
First Team distinctions were awarded to seniors Charamba and fellow Zimbabwean sprinter Vimbayi Maisvorewa, sophomores Kayinsola Ajayi and Ja'Kobe Tharp, and freshman Israel Okon. Second Team All-America accolades went to seniors Maura Huwalt and Dario Matau, junior Azeem Fahmi, and sophomore Ana-Liese Torian.
During the championships in Virginia Beach, Auburn's men's team finished third overall, their second consecutive podium finish after placing second at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The women's team finished 46th.
Auburn head coach Leroy Burrell praised the athletes' efforts, saying, “The congratulations go out to the student-athletes. They went out there with a mission, competed hard, and put themselves in a really good position to earn that trophy.”
In a standout performance, Tharp ran a collegiate-best time of 7.45 to win the 60m hurdles title, earning Auburn's first individual national title since Donald Thomas won in 2007. His time tied for the eighth fastest in the world this year.
Ajayi and Okon secured second and third place in the 60m, respectively, with Ajayi clocking 6.513 and Okon 6.516. This was Auburn's best 1-2 finish ever at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m.
Charamba secured silver in the 200m with a time of 20.16, marking the best performance in the event for Auburn since Miller's national title in 1999.
Maisvorewa, competing in the women's 400m, finished sixth with a time of 51.66. The Mutare-born runner made her second consecutive NCAA Indoor appearance and broke her school record (51.51) in the preliminary round. Her performance was Auburn's best in the indoor 400m since 2010.
Other notable performances included Huwalt finishing 14th in the weight throw with a mark of 21.12m, and Torian placing 13th in the 60m hurdles (8.38) at her first national competition.
Auburn's men's team continues to build on its recent successes, solidifying its reputation as a powerhouse in collegiate track and field.
According to reports from Birmingham, Alabama, Auburn track and field senior Charamba and freshman Israel Okon were selected as the 2025 SEC Men's Runner of the Year and SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Year, respectively.
Charamba, an Olympic finalist in the men's 200m event at the Paris Games, won the SEC individual title in the 200m with a time of 20.13 seconds. His time was the fastest indoor 200m in the world this year and the seventh fastest in history. He broke the SEC Indoor Championships meet record and the Texas A&M facility record. His win marked Auburn's first 200m SEC title since American Olympian Coby Miller won in 2000.
Charamba now holds the five fastest 200m times in Auburn history and is the programme's first-ever male SEC Runner of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track.
“Charamba had an amazing season,” Auburn track & field head coach Leroy Burrell said. “To finish the season with three competitions under 20.20 is some outstanding running. It is something that you do not see often with the indoor 200m.”
In the men's 60m dash, Okon ran 6.51 in the preliminary round, matching the 24-year-old world Under-20 record set by Mark Lewis-Francis of Great Britain in 2001. He had the fastest qualifying time in the preliminaries, tied for the fastest time in the NCAA this year, and broke the Auburn freshman record. In the finals, Okon claimed silver (6.55).
Charamba was named First Team All-SEC, while Okon was named to Second Team All-SEC. The Auburn men's team finished sixth overall, their highest placement since 2013, and scored 47 points, their most since 2011.
At their last competition, Charamba and Okon competed at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where both earned First Team All-America honors and helped lead Auburn to a third-place finish. Charamba took silver in the 200m (20.16), achieving the programme's best finish in the event since Miller's title win in 1999.
Meanwhile, nine Auburn University athletes received All-America honors following their performances at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, as announced by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
During the championships in Virginia Beach, Auburn's men's team finished third overall, their second consecutive podium finish after placing second at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The women's team finished 46th.
Auburn head coach Leroy Burrell praised the athletes' efforts, saying, “The congratulations go out to the student-athletes. They went out there with a mission, competed hard, and put themselves in a really good position to earn that trophy.”
In a standout performance, Tharp ran a collegiate-best time of 7.45 to win the 60m hurdles title, earning Auburn's first individual national title since Donald Thomas won in 2007. His time tied for the eighth fastest in the world this year.
Ajayi and Okon secured second and third place in the 60m, respectively, with Ajayi clocking 6.513 and Okon 6.516. This was Auburn's best 1-2 finish ever at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m.
Charamba secured silver in the 200m with a time of 20.16, marking the best performance in the event for Auburn since Miller's national title in 1999.
Maisvorewa, competing in the women's 400m, finished sixth with a time of 51.66. The Mutare-born runner made her second consecutive NCAA Indoor appearance and broke her school record (51.51) in the preliminary round. Her performance was Auburn's best in the indoor 400m since 2010.
Other notable performances included Huwalt finishing 14th in the weight throw with a mark of 21.12m, and Torian placing 13th in the 60m hurdles (8.38) at her first national competition.
Auburn's men's team continues to build on its recent successes, solidifying its reputation as a powerhouse in collegiate track and field.
Source - the chronicle
