As WSU record-holder

Jenna Dean entered her senior year on the Washington State University track and field team with one gargantuan goal.

A year prior, in March 2005, the Glenwood native had broken the school record in the javelin throw when she posted a toss of 169 feet, 7 inches at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, Ariz. Later that spring, she advanced to the NCAA meet for the first time, a monumental achievement that she figured she'd be capable or repeating in 2006.

So given all of that, Dean thought to herself that this year, she could definitely throw in the 170-foot range, or ossibly go after the big one: 180 feet.

She knew she had the ability to do just that under the right circumstances, and with the way she had been improving over the last three years, she figured that kind of distance was the next marker in her progression as a thrower.

It never happened.

Dean topped out at 160 feet, 8 inches, again at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson on March 17. That was the first meet of the year. She never threw long than that again for the rest of the season.

Was that disappointing for her? Of course it was. But if there's one thing a college athlete has to learn, it's to not get too high when things are going well and not to get too low when things aren't.

"I don't know why (I didn't make a big throw) at all," Dean said. "I thought my technique was better this year, and things were falling into place. But my timing was off, and my technique, approach, plant...it just didn't fly for me.

"(My senior season) didn't go as well as I wanted it to. I was hoping for a big throw this year to beat my personal best, but it didn't happen. But I think overall, my average this year was more consistent than last year. Last year I was up and down, but this year I stayed really consistent in the high 150s. I was pleased with that aspect. I just didn't get the big throw that I wanted."

Dean also wanted to return to the NCAA Championships, but she didn't get that, either. In 2005, she finished second at the Pac-10 Championships with a toss of 168 feet, 11 inches, and finished second at the NCAA West Regional Meet after throwing 164-2. She placed 21st at the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., with an effort of 144-10.

This year, though, Dean finished eighth at the Pac-10s and sixth at regionals to barely miss out on a return trip to nationals.

"It was a huge disappointment (to not return to nationals," she said. "I was expecting to go. I knew where I was ranked nationally. What made it even more of a heartbreaking moment is that you qualify for nationals by finishing fifth or better at regionals, and in the last round a girl from Fresno State moved from eighth to second, which knocked me down to sixth place. I had to wait until the next Tuesday to see if I made the defending order list, which (includes) the top throwers in the nation to not qualify in regionals. They took seven, and I was eighth or ninth (on that list). To barely miss out was disappointing."

It was only disappointing because Dean had established quite a reputation for herself as one of the Pac-10 Conference's best javelin throwers over the last four years. That's quite a remarkable feat considering the fact that Dean didn't even compete in track and field at Glenwood High School until her junior year.

"I was a softball player," she said. "When I was a junior, the track coach (Tom Eldred) asked me if I wanted to throw the javelin. I went out a few times for practice, and I went to the meets that didn't conflict with softball games. I didn't take it that seriously, but I ended up being pretty good. I made state (my junior and senior years), and the Washington State track coach started talking to me about going there. (I feel like I'm a later bloomer) only because of lack of experience. I feel like if I had actually thrown the javelin my freshman and sophomore years as well, I would have been even better coming into college. I may could've reached the 180-foot mark my senior year, and I felt I should've done that."

As a freshman, Dean finished seventh at the Pac-10s, and tied for 12th at regionals. As a sophomore in 2004, she placed fifth at the Pac-10s and sixth at regionals, just missing a national meet spot.

All that paved the way for her standout junior year, and the Tucson throw that went down as the fourth-longest in the history of the conference.

"It was the first meet of the season my junior year, and my best throw before that had been 156 feet," Dean said. "I threw three in prelims, and they weren't that great. I made it to the finals, and kept thinking that I threw really good in warm-ups, and I wanted to treat the next throw like a warm-up. I relaxed and let technique start the flow.

"I threw it, and I heard our coach, Rick Sloan, yell, `There it goes.' It looked like it would fly forever. I started to really get excited when it hit the ground. I thought it might be over 170 feet. I waited for the number to brea read, and when it was (announced) as 169 feet, I started jumping in the air, screaming. It was an exciting time, the highlight of my track and field career."

Later in the spring, she qualified for the NCAA meet, which solidified her status as one of the nation's best throwers.

Unfortunately for her and the rest of the javelin contestants, the weather in Sacramento on the night of prelim tosses was less than ideal.

"I was really excited and really nervous," Dean said. "On the first day of competition, we were set to start throwing at 8 p.m., and it started to get cold and rainy. I was in the third flight, and by the time I threw it was 10 p.m. I was tired because I didn't know how to reserve my energy. By the time the competition started, I felt like I didn't have any energy. Usually when you think of a national meet, you think of spectators in the stands and fans cheering, but when we were throwing there was nobody in the stands at all. It didn't feel like nationals; for me, it felt like a wet Pullman competition.

"I knew how to compete well in these conditions, but that kind of environment didn't allow any kind of adrenaline rush. I didn't throw well in prelims and didn't make to finals, but I still felt like I had a good experience that would help for this year. If I had made it to nationals this year, I would have known what to expect."

What she could expect throughout her career, however, was the support of her parents, Jerry and Mary Dean. The Deans, who own and operate a logging company, were able to take enough time off to travel with the Cougars and follow their daughter for several of her road meets.

"When we weren't logging, we were able to go to Tucson and California several times with her," Jerry Dean said. "It was a good experience for us and for her. I think (her success) is awesome. We're so proud of her. Ever since she started (at Washington State), she's accomplished a lot. She's had a great time doing it."

Jenna Dean added: "I think (my parents) treated by track career as a mini-vacation. They were always there to support me. They were a big inspiration for me, and they made me feel comfortable."

Dean, 22, graduated in May with a degree in human development and is currently finishing her internship at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho, where she works with a program based around child abuse prevention and support.

In March, Dean married Davaon Spence, who spent the last thew years on the University of Washington track and field team after transferring from Mt. Hood Community College.

The Spences will move to Riverside, Calif., later this summer as Davoan will continue to train in an effort to make the 2010 Jamaican Olympic track and field team in the 100- or 200-meter dash. Dean will try to work in a nearby hospital doing the same kinds of things she's doing now in Moscow.

"I consider myself a small-town girl," she said. "It will be hard to get used to southern California."

Dean's track and field career, however, is over, at least for now.

But she'll never forget the things she learned over the last four years, when she transformed from a softball player from a small town in southwestern Washington to one of the nation's best javelin throwers.

"The idea of competing (was the most important thing I learned at Washington State)," she said. "You go into a meet and you think you just want to try to get first. If someone goes out there and throws a little bit farther, you step it up and throw better. It's about competing back and forth. I learned a lot about what it takes to be a competitor and shoot for a goal."