Defeat is an unfamiliar word to the Old Rochester Regional High School indoor track teams, and that may be why they’ve grown by 15 students each since last year.

With 57 girls and 60 boys, the behemoth teams have been a lot to manage for coaches Bill and Cindy Tilden, but instead of holding back progress, it’s been part of the reason ORR has excelled this season.

“We don’t cut. We find that there’s something anybody can do in track,” said Cindy. “It’s better they’re here than somewhere doing nothing.”

After the first month of practice, Ally Saccone, a senior and team captain, said she was pleasantly surprised by her new teammates.

“There are a lot of young kids who have a lot of potential,” she said.

Starting off against Apponequet High School was a challenge, admitted Saccone, who also said the team struggled against Dighton-Rehoboth High School.

“We definitely had our scares throughout the season,” said Saccone.

But both teams secured wins against Seekonk High School on January 24, giving them another South Coast Championship win. The win meant that the teams held onto their undefeated status, marking the fifth year for the girls and third for the boys.

“We have two large teams so we have a lot of depth,” said Cindy. “We have several kids in several events that can score and several kids that can be moved around to different events.”

Although track is known for its individual events, Cindy said, “We really stress the team bonding and the team atmosphere. If they’re more cohesive as a group, then they want to work harder for each other.”

The approach has proven a good one judging from the teams’ wins, and the trickle down effect from upperclassmen to underclassmen helps keep the “family philosophy” a constant from year to year.

Next, around half of the team will move on to the State Championships on February 15.

“We have high hopes for State,” said Saccone. “We’re hoping to come out on top.”