Boys track and field 2022: Vermilion's Ayden Bath a late bloomer who still has plenty of room to grow

Ayden Bath was a sort of mystery man prior to last season. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vermilion senior wasn't all that known when outdoor track and field resumed a year ago. Though he did have a runner-up finish from the indoor state meet there wasn't much else on his resume of note. That's far from the case these days. Bath is now a two-time state indoor champion, winning the Division II-III 60-meter hurdles and high jump titles March 4, and that's on top of a pair of third-place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles and high jump in June at the Division II state outdoor meet. "It gives me a lot of momentum going into the outdoor season," Bath said of the indoor titles he won. "It gets me excited and gives me an opportunity. Improving my 60-meter hurdle time drastically this year to 7.96 from 8.49 (in 2021), I can't wait to see how that transitions to the 110 hurdles." Bath is upbeat about the possibilities this season holds. "My coach (Dave Domonkos) and I have been talking about some goals that we would like to hit by the end of the year with all the success I've been seeing," said Bath, a Kent State track commit. "We're hoping it gives me some momentum in this outdoor season. We're trying to get my 110 hurdle time down from a 14.73 to a 13.99, so we're trying to break that 14-second mark. For the 300 hurdles, my goal is to run sub-40. My PR there is 40.42. I'm right there with that one so I should get that one pretty soon. "My high jump has been improving. I'd like to start consistently jumping at the 6-8 mark. I didn't long jump as much last year as I plan to this year. I did clear 19 feet outdoors. I would kind of like 22-5 to be where I'm at closer to the end of the year." Bath cleared a personal-best 6-5 in the high jump at last year's state meet and went 21-0 in the long jump at the indoors state meet to finish fifth. He's already off to a good start. On Wednesday he broke the school high jump record when he cleared 6-8 during a meet at Edison. That broke the previous mark of 6-6.25 set by Scott Rogers in 197. "When I first ran track in middle school in seventh grade, the sprint coach gravitated towards my height and encouraged me to give hurdles a shot," Bath said. "I was one of the few that was able to make it over all the hurdles so I stuck with it all the way to high school. In high school is where I really started seeing improvement. Just seeing the improvement and working with my coach every day made me fall in love with track even more." Bath has enjoyed a nice growth spurt, going from 6-foot-1, 130 pounds as a freshman to 6-5, 175 pounds. "Hurdles are an event a lot of people are intimidated by," Bath said. "I like to prove I can do what I put my mind to. I'm not the perfect fit for the 100-meter dash. I'm not the fastest. I do have speed and the hurdles is kind of where I fit in. The height is definitely very beneficial. It not only helps me in hurdles but also in high jump. The long legs to make it over the hurdles makes it pretty easy. I'm not saying it's an easy thing to do but it's definitely helpful. "I'm hitting the weight room a lot more which is helping me grow into my body. I saw improvement last year and that's why my hurdle times have been excelling. I'm still growing into my body so hopefully we'll see more improvement here soon." Bath is the Vermilion boys first state track and field champion since 1948 when Roger Ruetenik won the Class B 880-yard run in outdoor track and the first Vermilion boy to win a state indoor track title. "It gave me a great experience to learn off of," Bath said of last year's state outdoor meet. "I went into it knowing I could do very well. I was very happy with how I performed and the outcome taking third. That was definitely great, but I'm always hungry for more. I just know that all the work I put in last year I have to work a little bit harder. The goal at the end of the year is to be state champ." Domonkos likes Bath's chances. "Ayden works as hard as any athlete I've ever had," Domonkos said. "He's a big plus on the team because he's such a leader at the same time, not only through his voice but his actions on the track. He really leads the boys. He has a great opportunity this season. We're back at Jesse Owens Stadium (for the state meet). He's excited to hopefully to be able to compete there. If he competes like he did indoors he should be there. We're hoping in not only two events, but maybe in three or four." Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.