It was a day of experimentation for Tigers head coach Brad Botvin this past Monday, April 1, as his varsity boys and girls outdoor track and field athletes competed in their first meet of the season against Barrington, East Providence, Shea and Tolman High Schools.

Despite losing a number of athletes to a band trip to Disney, the Tiverton boys still managed to come out on top against Shea and Tolman, defeating them by a 68-32 and 92-32 margin, respectively. They were led by javelin standout Logan Beattie who, last year, narrowly missed qualifying for states in the event by just an inch as he finished first overall with a throw of 133’6.”

Nate Neville, meanwhile, followed not too far behind with his distance of 120’2.” Shot-putter Tom Mello also showcased a promising debut performance, earning fourth overall with his throw of 32’3 ¾.”

Out on the track, Coach Botvin pushed his athletes’ comfort zones, entering them in brand-new events in his effort to “fill the slots.” In addition to throwing javelin and running the first leg in the 4x100m relay, Nick Brinkman was forced to test his limits by competing in both the 100m and 300m hurdle events.

“Put them in all different things and you never know what will happen,” Mr. Botvin said.

The meet, however, was not only a learning curve for the athletes, but for their coach as well. After graduating his sole two female members last year, Botvin is now working with an entirely new group of girls and is still in the process of identifying where their strengths lie. Though they may have been swept by all four teams in Monday’s competition, he was happy with how the rookie athletes performed nonetheless.

“Overall, the girls did a good job for their first time competing,” he said.

While the program itself is still in its infancy — revived only last season by Mr. Botvin after a 34-year drought— it has quickly gained traction throughout the high school. Participation has tripled, growing from just nine athletes in 2018 to this year’s total of 27. The lone coach has had to quickly adjust, relying on donations to keep the sport going; anybody looking to help out, he said, is welcome to contact him through the Tiverton School Department.

The Tigers’ will next compete in an invitational beginning at 9 am this Saturday, April 6 at Conley Stadium.