Concordia-St. Paul Athletic Hall of Fame
A Minneapolis, Minnesota native (Edison High School), Kawaskii Bacon, BA ’09, is one of Concordia-St. Paul's most decorated athletes on the track as a 15-time All-NSIC selection, eight-time NSIC champion and three-time NCAA Division II Championships competitor.
Bacon made history for the Golden Bears as he became the first athlete at the school to qualify for the NCAA DII Championships in two events, competing in the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash. He was also the first athlete to qualify in two different meets, competing in the 60 meter dash in the 2009 NCAA DII Indoor Championships. He earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in all three years on campus.
Bacon showed his versatility as a short sprinter by earning All-NSIC honors in five different events, including the 55 meter dash, the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, the 4x100 meter relay and the 4x400 meter relay. His efforts earned him 2009 NSIC Track Athlete of the Year recognition while he also finished as a finalist for the NCAA Track Athlete of the Year. Bacon’s name still litters the CSP record books as he wrapped up his career with seven school records, six of which still stand today (2020).
The sprinter made a splash in his debut season in 2007 as he was named the NSIC Indoor Newcomer of the Year before earning his first three NSIC titles in the outdoor season. Bacon grabbed the top spot in the 100 meter dash (10.60), the 200 meter dash (21.34) and the 4x100 meter relay (42.17) in the outdoor season while qualifying for the national meet in the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash. He took home 16th in the prelims in the 100 meter dash and 18th in the prelims of the 200 meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Bacon added school records in both the outdoor 200 meter dash (21.32) and the outdoor sprint medley relay (3:25.01), joining forces with fellow 2020 CSP Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Adrian Perryman, BA ‘07, MBA ’18, Matt Eicheldinger, BA ’09, and 2019 Hall of Fame inductee Kyle Warren, BA ’07, in the relay.
Bacon followed with two more NSIC victories in the 2008 NSIC Indoor Championships, finishing the 55 meter dash in 6.46 seconds and the 200 meter dash in 22.05 seconds.
He wrapped up his career with three more conference championships in the 2009 season, one in the indoor season and two more in the outdoor season, while reaching the NCAA DII Indoor Championships in the 60 meter dash as well. Bacon secured victories in the 200 meter dash in both the indoor and outdoor conference championships, also claiming his second career win in the 4x100 meter relay in the outdoor championships. He narrowly missed qualifying for the finals at the NCAA DII Indoor meet as his time of 6.85 seconds was good for 10th in the prelims. The season brought four more school records as Bacon tied Perryman in the indoor 55 meter dash (6.38) and set the marks in the indoor 60 meter dash (6.72), indoor 200 meter dash (6.72) and 4x100 meter relay (41.04).
Bacon earned his degree in business administration in 2009 and currently holds the position of Director of Finance at Media Bridge Advertising. He previously worked as a senior accountant at the Best Buy Corporate office.
