NIACC's Steene earns all-American honors

NIACC's Fabian Steene (third from left) placed sixth in the high jump Friday at the NJCAA national indoor track and field championships in Topeka, Kan.
NIACC's Fabian Steene (third from left) placed sixth in the high jump Friday at the NJCAA national indoor track and field championships in Topeka, Kan.
March 4, 2023

TOPEKA, Kan. - NIACC freshman Fabian Steene placed sixth in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 6 1/4 inches Friday at the NJCAA national indoor track and field championships on the Washburn University campus.

Steene's sixth-place finish earned him USTFCCCA all-American honors. He is the first NIACC men's track and field athlete to earn indoor track and field all-American honors since Tinashe Chigudu (60-meter dash) and Melvin Kipkemboi (3,000 and 5,000) were all-Americans at the 2021 national indoor meet.

Also Friday, NIACC freshman Bryson Canton placed 15th in the 1,000-meter run in a personal best time of 2:32.97, which ranks second on the school's all-time 1,000 list. Canton's previous personal best was 2:35.47 at the Minnesota State Ted Nelson Classic on Feb. 3.

In the 60-meter hurdles prelims, sophomore Perez Hemmings was 24th in a personal best time of 8.58, which ranks third on the school's all-time 60 hurdles list. Hemmings previous personal best was 8.97 at the Ted Nelson Classic on Feb. 5, 2022.

For the NIACC women on Friday, freshman Tara Backhaus was 20th in the 60-meter hurdle prelims in a personal best time of 10.16, which ranks fourth on the school's all-time 60 hurdles list.

Backhaus previous personal best was 10.34 at the Grinnell Invitational on Jan. 28.