As a Senior (2012-13): Dean closed out her career on The Hill with 11 top-two finishes, including six first places. At the conclusion of the season, Dean was named to the Sun Belt Conference 2013 Swimming & Diving Second Team. Dean topped off her last SBC Championship with a pair of second-place finishes, as she put up a school-record score of 299.50 on the three meter and 266.60 on the one meter. Dean ended the season at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championship where she totaled 209.45 on the three-meter evaluations and 233.00 on the one meter. Dean won five-straight events to open the season, including Delta State, Vanderbilt/Tulane and the Hilltopper Invite, as she qualified for the zone championship with her score of 278.76 against Delta State. She also won the three-meter, 11-dives event at the Sewanee Diving Invitational with a score of 434.10.
As a Junior (2011-12): In her third season at WKU, Caitlin Dean finished in the top 4 nine times, including scoring in two events at the Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. Dean placed sixth on the 1-meter (qualifying for finals with a prelim score of 229.75) and third on the 3-meter with a season-best mark of 264.50. She won four individual events on the year, sweeping both the 1- and 3-meter against the University of the Cumberlands. Dean also won the 1-meter at the Hilltopper Invitational and the 3-meter against Marshall and Fairmont State. She added a strong meet against Georgia Tech and Clemson, putting together a pair of top-10 finishes.
As a Sophomore (2010-11): Dean[apos]s sophomore season at WKU included qualifying for NCAA Zone Diving with a score of 268.65 on the 1-Meter at the Hilltopper Invitational. She also finished third in that event at the Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. She scored a 271.25 on the 1-Meter at the conference meet and placed 11th in the 3-Meter event (202.55). Dean only finished outside the top four once.
As a Freshman (2009-10): Dean[apos]s first season at WKU saw her finish in the top 10 in all her events, including six meets where she finished in the top two. Dean picked up four wins throughout the year, including claiming the individual title in the 1-meter diving event at the 2010 SBC Championships, with a score of 259.95. Her other wins came against Xavier, Evansville and New Orleans and Tulane. Dean also placed forth in the 3-meter diving event at the conference meet with a mark of 227.00.
High School: Four-year starter and letterwinner at Northview High School ... All-State her junior and senior seasons ... also named All-Conference her senior year ... picked up an All-American honor her senior year ... also voted the Most Valuable Diver for three years.
Personal: Born February 22, 1991 in Grand Rapids, Mich. ... daughter of Gordon and Brenda Dean ... majoring in elementary education ... hopes to join the Peace Corps after graduation.
