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UNITED States-based Zimbabwean sprinter and Auburn University’s track and field senior Makanakaishe Charamba was selected as the Southeastern Conference’s Men’s Runner of the Week, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
Racing in the 200m for the first time this outdoor season, Charamba posted a world-leading time of 19.99 seconds in the men’s 200m event at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida.
With his first-place finish on the Percy Beard Track, Charamba holds the only sub-20-second performance so far this outdoor season.
His time was just four hundredths shy of his school record (19.95).
The Zimbabwean sprinter went on to anchor the men’s 4x100m relay. The quartet ran the fastest relay time in the NCAA and the sixth fastest in the world this year (38.39).
Charamba had earlier cruised to a world-leading time of 19.99 in the 200m in Gainesville, Florida to headline Auburn track and field’s split duty weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial and Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Racing at the Percy Beard Track, Charamba’s 19.99 is the only sub-20 second performance so far this outdoor season. Charamba’s time was just 4 hundredths shy of his school record (19.95).
The 200m Olympian from Zimbabwe went on to anchor the 4x100m relay. Joined by sophomore Kayinsola Ajayi, junior Azeem Fahmi and senior Dario Matau, the reigning NCAA champions ran the fastest relay time in the nation this year (38.39).
One of five distance runners racing at the Wake Forest Invite in Winston-Salem, Brenda Jepchirchir, took the programme record title in the women’s 10 000m (32:42.28).
She was the first woman to cross the finish line, breaking the previous record held by Angela Homan (33:25.40).
Racing against some of the best competition in the country, Jepchirchir broke the facility record and beat her closest competitor by 52 seconds.
Also breaking a programme record was junior Megan Hague.
Competing in her home state of Florida, Hague broke her own school record in shot put (17.72m) that she set earlier this season at the Yellow Jacket Invite.
Her second toss put her in first place, the spot she would hold the entire competition.
Auburn’s sprint unit continued to make some noise as sophomore Kayinsola Ajayi ran the fourth fastest time in the NCAA this year in the 100m invite (9.96).
His time is tied for the second fastest in programme history.
Ian Myers won the men’s 100m dash, crossing the line in 10.22 and earning a new personal best.
For the women’s sprints, another Zimbabwean sprinter senior Vimbayi Maisvorewa ran the second fastest time of the day in the women’s 400m invite (50.25). The indoor 400m record holder holds the second fastest time in the NCAA.
Also competing in Gainesville, senior Ashantae Harvey ran a collegiate best of 57.25 in the 400m hurdles invite to move up to No. 8 on the Auburn Top 10 List. Her time is sixth in the conference.
Sophomore Zuriel Reed finished 15th overall and took the No. 9 spot on the programme record list (57.48).
The throwing squad for the Tigers continue to put up impressive marks.
Senior Kyle Brown finished first in men’s hammer throw for the second time this outdoor season.
His mark of 67.40m earned him the top spot on the podium. Also competing in hammer throw, senior John Leonard claimed fourth with a PR of 63.94m.
Matthew Rueff claimed silver in shot put with an impressive mark of 18.81m, finishing ahead of 16 other competitors.
Competing in hammer throw for the first time this outdoor season, senior Maura Huwalt took home bronze after a collegiate best mark (57.55).
Freshman Camryn Massey was second in the women’s discus (53.52m), moving up to the No. 8 spot on the programme performers list.
Racing in Winston-Salem over the weekend, junior Gené Coetzee delivered a PR in the women’s 5000m (16:18.13), shaving 15 seconds off her previous best time.
Her time was good for sixth on the Tigers’ Top 10 List in the event.
In his third meet of the outdoor season, sophomore Max Hardin finished the 1 500m invite in 3:42.97.
For the distance women in Gainesville, junior Hailey Howard and senior Samantha Rogers finished first overall with personal best times in their respective events. In the 5000m, Howard crossed in 17:18.16, and Rogers ran 4:24.15 in the 1500m.
In the men’s 5000m, junior Joseph Perry finished second 15:02.56 and senior Fuji Anday finished behind in third (15:04.31).
Charamba and the Tigers will be back in action this coming Saturday at home to host the Tiger Track Classic at the Hutsell-Rosen Track. – auburntigers.com/Sports Reporter.
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