TWO CREDENTIALS CAME INTO PLAY as our Collegiate Outdoor Athlete Of The Year awards for ’26 went to Ja’Kobe Tharp of Auburn and Adaejah Hodge of Georgia. Each not only claimed a national title but also established a new Collegiate Record.
Tharp, in fact, turned the rare feat of setting a World Record, breaking the 12.80 barrier with his 12.75 in the semis. The 20-year-old junior backed that up in the final with the second-fastest collegiate performance ever. He was an easy choice as he moved up from Honorable Mention status a year ago.
HM to a trio of national champions who also claimed CRs — Jaiden Reid of LSU (200), Samuel Ogazi of Alabama (400), Simeon Birnbaum of Oregon (1500) — and the year’s only double national champ, Habtom Samuel of New Mexico (5000 & 10,000). Reid and Ogazi each claimed the yearly world lead and the former added a runnerup finish in the 100.
Hodge was the best of a trio of speedsters who pulled off an exacta of winning the national title with a CR. The 20-year-old British Virgin Islander, in fact, claimed a new all-time collegiate low in both the 100 and 200. Her century record came in the semis and she ended up 2nd in the final. (She also ran on the 3rd-place 4×1, but our AOY honors are for individual events only.)
HMs to Hodge’s teammate, Dejanea Oakley (400) and Arkansas’s Sanu Jallow-Lockhart (800) for their gold-medal winning CRs. Hats off too to Washington’s Moll twins, Amanda and Hana, who dominated the vault.
The all-time winners, since we began this award in ’95 (women are listed with the last name they were using at the time):
| Year | Men’s AOY | Women’s AOY |
| 2026 | Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) | Adaejah Hodge (Georgia) |
| 2025 | Ishmael Kipkurui (New Mexico) | Savannah Sutherland (Michigan) |
| 2024 | Leo Neugebauer (Texas) | Parker Valby (Florida) |
| 2023 | Jaydon Hibbert (Arkansas) | Julien Alfred (Texas) |
| 2022 | Trey Cunningham (Florida State) | Abby Steiner (Kentucky) |
| 2021 | JuVaughn Harrison (LSU) | Athing Mu (Texas A&M) |
| 2020 (none) | ||
| 2019 | Grant Holloway (Florida) | Sha’Carri Richardson (LSU) |
| 2018 | Michael Norman (USC) | Maggie Ewen (Arizona State) |
| 2017 | Fred Kerley (Texas A&M) | Raevyn Rogers (Oregon) |
| 2016 | Jarrion Lawson (Arkansas) | Courtney Okolo (Texas) |
| 2015 | Shawn Barber (Akron) | Jenna Prandini (Oregon) |
| 2014 | Trayvon Bromell (Baylor) | Courtney Okolo (Texas) |
| 2013 | Derek Drouin (Indiana) | Brianna Rollins (Clemson) |
| 2012 | Cam Levins (Southern Utah) | Brianne Theisen (Oregon) |
| 2011 | Ngoni Makusha (Florida State) | Sheila Reid (Villanova) |
| 2010 | Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) | Queen Harrison (Virginia Tech) |
| 2009 | Galen Rupp (Oregon) | Jenny Barringer (Colorado) |
| 2008 | Richard Thompson (LSU) | Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech) |
| 2007 | Walter Dix (Florida State) | Natasha Hastings (South Carolina) |
| 2006 | Xavier Carter (LSU) | Ginnie Powell (USC) |
| 2005 | Kerron Clement (Florida) | Monique Henderson (UCLA) |
| 2004 | Alistair Cragg (Arkansas) | Sheena Johnson (UCLA) |
| 2003 | Daniel Lincoln (Arkansas) | Sanya Richards (Texas) |
| 2002 | Justin Gatlin (Tennessee) | Lashinda Demus (South Carolina) |
| 2001 | Janus Robberts (SMU) | Brianna Glenn (Arizona) |
| 2000 | Gábor Máté (Auburn) | Seilala Sua (UCLA) |
| 1999 | Terrence Trammell (South Carolina) | Suziann Reid (Texas) |
| 1998 | Angelo Taylor (Georgia Tech) | Amy Skieresz (Arizona) |
| 1997 | Robert Howard (Arkansas) | Tiffany Lott-Hogan (BYU) |
| 1996 | Ato Boldon (UCLA) | Tonya Williams (Illinois) |
| 1995 | John Godina (UCLA) | Diane Guthrie-Gresham (George Mason) |
