Colby Dean, Junior, is on his way up and has been since he first been since he stepped onto the Chico State campus. Dean moved from Idaho to Chico with intent to play golf for the Wildcats, and equal intent to help himself and the team be their absolute best.

As a true freshman, Dean was an important addition to the roster of ‘Cat golfers, averaging about 78 strokes a round. But more impressive was his calm in the big moments. Not only did he deliver what at the time was his collegiate-best score of 71 in the first round of the CCAA championships, he led the team in scoring in the opening round of the NCAA Championship super regional.

Dean did not experience a slump in his second year. His strokes per round average improved by almost four and he carded six rounds of par or better. In six of the seven tournaments that the ‘Cats played in last year he finished in the top 30.

In his third year, Dean is still climbing. He recently won CCAA golfer of the week for Feb. 8 through Feb. 14, due to his stellar performance at Cactus Thaw Regional Championship Preview at Brookside Country Club in Stockton.

Dean carded a two under par his first day, putting him in a good spot for the second and final day to make moves on the scoreboard. “I had a good week… The course played into my strength, which without a doubt is my short game,” he said.

The second day of the tournament, Dean carded a personal best five under par putting him ahead of 120 golfers and only one stroke behind first place.

He came to Chico State to play golf at a high level, and he and his teammates are doing exactly that. Colby As of February 17, the Wildcats are currently 22 in the nation according to the NCAA Division II golf rankings.

Dedicated to his sport and his career path, Dean has always been on the journey to great. He started playing competitive golf when he was 11 and hasn’t looked back. I asked him what makes the game so special for him, and he said, “The individual aspect.I like knowing that if I play my best I have a chance of winning every time. it builds character.”

Dean also mentioned, “Don’t get me wrong, I love my teammates and the team aspect of golf…but at the end of the day it is an individual sport.”

Colby has been consistently motivated throughout his career, and former Chico State golfer Alistair Doherty was a witness of that hard work. “He’s a very driven golfer and understands that there are big shoes to fill” Docherty said, “with his work ethic and dedication to becoming better in all aspects of the game I think that he will be a dominant golfer this year and through the rest of his time in Chico.”

Whether you look at the full sample size of Dean’s career or just his time here at Chico State, he has proven to be on a mission to be the best. He will finally get to see what he can do in a leading role this season.

Chris Hendrickson can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_sports on Twitter.