PREP ATHLETICS: Bostain ready for new role as Westview AD

May 17—TOPEKA — It's hard replacing a fixture at a place like Darlene Mathew was at Westview Jr.-Sr. High School.

That's what Bill Bostain's next job will be.

Bostain was approved as the new athletic director at the school May 13. He will be taking over the role Mathew has occupied for four decades, who submitted her retirement to the school board in late March. Mathew has worked at the school for 46 total years, 40 of which as an athletic director.

"I don't view it as a challenge — I actually view it as a really good position for me to be in because Darlene has been doing it for 46 years and she has all this experience," said Bostain on replacing Mathew. "She's built a really successful program there, and so, for me, I view that as a really positive thing going into this situation."

Bostain, 32, is an industrial technology teacher at Norwell Middle School in Ossian, which is just south of Fort Wayne. Along with teaching, Bostain has also coached middle school football and wrestling. While getting his master's degree from WGU-Indiana, Bostain interned in the Huntington University athletic department office.

Westview Principal Rich Cory said in a press release Friday that, "Bill stood out from the other candidates because of his strong academic focus as a teacher. The interview committee believed that Bill would do a great job working with our coaches, our students, and our community."

The release also said four candidates were interviewed for the position, with Bostain standing out among the interviewees.

Bostain has always been drawn to athletics, and becoming an athletic director has always been a goal of his.

"A big reason why I got into academics was the athletic side of things," Bostain said. "I've been coaching football for a really long time, and so that was kind of what sparked my interest. And then, the education side of it was something that I kind of went into because of all the extracurriculars. Just looking toward what I wanted my future to be, and the athletic director position always kind of called to me."

Bostain found out about the job opening through his wife, Michelle, who is the Chief Deputy Prosecutor for LaGrange County. She has been in that role for since January and has spent three years total working for the county, commuting from their home in Fort Wayne to the offices in LaGrange.

"(Michelle) actually sent me the posting and said, 'Oh, look at this, you've got to apply,'" Bostain said. "She was like, 'Westview is a great school and has great athletics, great academics.' I started kind of digging into what Westview was about, and I was really, really impressed. So, I applied for it, and luckily enough, I got it."

TEACHER AND COACH

The move up to athletic director is a big leap for Bostain, who has spent most of his life teaching and coaching middle school students. While his work with high school students has been limited, the Fort Wayne native knows he'll be able to do the job effectively.

"I'm sure people will look at what I haven't done, not necessarily what I've done," Bostain said. "All I can do is show them what I'm capable of. I'm a person that's a very determined person. I know, at first, I'm going to have hiccups along the way just because it's a new job and I'll be learning new things. ... Once I get in there and start learning it, I guarantee I'll be somebody that's going to be a hard worker and learn it and continue the great success that Westview's had."

Bostain and his family will be relocating to the Westview area in the summer. He and his wife have two daughters: Elena, 7, and Rylie, 3.

"Me and my family are extremely excited to be coming and living in the community ... (Michelle) loves the community, and it's always been something to where we've wanted to live up there," Bostain said. "This is an opportunity to do that, and we're really excited to be going to Westview."

Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.