
It was yet another eventful season for our RI track & field athletes. Throughout the summer months, Ocean State Running will feature some of our most memorable performances during the outdoor campaign. Here we feature Hendricken’s Carson Dean.
There’s no arguing that Dean has been the state’s top pole-vaulter over the past three years. His record speaks for itself: a three-time outdoor champion who has lost to an in-state rival just once in the last three years — a runner-up finish to Smithfield’s Will Schiller at the 2023 Classical Classic.
This past spring, the Hawk standout made his final high school season a memorable one. In addition to winning his third state crown, Dean twice broke the state record. He first cleared 15 feet, 9 inches to win the Class A title, then followed up just a week later with a milestone performance at the Hendricken Invitational on May 31.
Competing on his home turf, the talented senior cleared 16 feet even to defend his crown, cementing his status as the best pole-vaulter in state history.