There isn't much redshirt junior Bailey Roth hasn't been through. With his dad pulling double duty as his father and coach, Roth caught the running bug and never looked back.
 
"In 2013, I was invited to the New Balance National Championships as a junior in high school and it was probably the third time I ran the 2,000-meter steeplechase," Roth said.
 
Roth had dedicated an entire year of preparation for that race to set a national record, going into it with a personal best mark of 5:45 he set in Ukraine at the World Youth Championships. All Roth knew was that he wanted to rewrite the record books on US soil.
 
"I ran my race and stuck to the plan my dad and I discussed, and I was able to break the national record," Roth said. "That was a big stepping-stone for me because it showed me that I had the ability to do better and strive for more. Even though I had that record, I wanted and knew that I could get more."
 
What Roth didn't know at the time was that he would get more. After winning MVP of the meet, the Atlanta native has gone on to build quite the resume in Tucson, holding one Pac-12 Championship and a pair of NCAA second team All-America honors for the Wildcats.
 
"That meet was really special for me because of how hard I worked to get there," Roth said. "Financially, it was hard for my family to afford it and I remember not even having a fresh pair of spikes. I had to wear an old ripped pair from my closet and my neighbor paid for my flight. It wasn't so much about the record for me as it was overcoming adversity because at the time my family was going though a lot of hardship. I took it into account and showed myself that I could do it regardless of who I was competing against because I had something to prove to myself. It meant more to me than a record or a medal, and that's what stays with me and motivates me."
 
After this turning point in his career, Roth started raising his expectations and set his sights towards running collegiately. He would go on to run the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Junior National Championships in Eugene, Ore., where he caught the eye of head cross-country coach James Li.
 
Roth has built up quite the trophy case in his collegiate career for the Cats, but he isn't done yet. When it is all said and done, the redshirt junior hopes to put his name on the NCAA's and Arizona's record books. Once his college career comes to a close, he plans on continuing his passion for running in the professional scene.