Dean wins 2 decathlons, accepts prep school offer
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Colton Dean’s summer has been anything but relaxing, but the soon-to-be senior wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dean, who was named the boys track and field MVP in this year’s “Best of Sports” for the Observer-Reporter and The Almanac after his junior season at Canon-McMillan, was victorious in two national decathlons, and also received an offer that he described as a “no brainer” and something he “couldn’t pass up.”
Dean started his busy summer by winning the New Balance Nationals Outdoor Decathlon Championship on June 14 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, scoring 6,961 points over the two-day event that features 10 events. He followed that championship with a victory in the AAU Junior Olympic Games on July 28 at the Marcus T. Johnson Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
Dean scored 6,817 points to win his first AAU Junior Olympic title in the 17-18 age group.
Following his win at the New Balance Nationals, Dean’s mother was approached by the coach for IMG Academy’s track and field program and inquired about her son possibly attending his senior year of high school at the preparatory boarding school in Bradenton, Fla.
Dean said he heard about IMG Academy but didn’t know too much. However, once he received notification on Instagram about the school, a conference call was set up with his family and it didn’t take him long to accept.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and will really help when it comes to colleges recruiting me,” Dean said. “They go to meets all over the country, and also compete in most of the big ones, which is going to be great for me. I will also be able to do 4-5 decathlons throughout the season. I won’t be doing the decathlon every meet, but I will get the opportunity to do some in season.”
Dean will stay on campus and attend classes at IMG Academy while competing in track and field. He was a two-time PIAA qualifier and placed fourth in the long jump as a sophomore as a Big Mac.
While most aspiring track and field athletes keep an eye on the Olympics, Dean paid extra attention to a former WPIAL standout and current decathlete in North Allegheny graduate Ayden Owens-Delerme, who competed in the Paris Games for Puerto Rico and was ninth in the event.
“When I was 16-years-old, I was competing in Slippery Rock at an AAU event, and he was talking to my coach and knew I was a decathlete,” Dean said. “We started to talk and now we keep in touch a good bit. We text each other ‘good luck’ before meets and he has also given me a college recruiting sheet and provided me with tips about nutrition before meets. It’s awesome.”
Dean has also been approached by New Balance about possibly representing the company by weaning their attire during meets.
“Whenever we were getting on the podium at AAU Nationals, a lady from New Balance came up and told me about wearing their gear when I compete, but that is something I will have to look into,” Dean said.
Dean has competed for the Stallions TC at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island since he was 11.