Lakers pursuing sweep of both titles for first time since 2018 under legendary coach Baltes, but will have to knock off reigning champions from 2019 in Colorado School of Mines men’s team and Adams State women’s squad, as Division 2 nationals return following a year absence as a result of pandemic  

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

There are two things Grand Valley State University track and cross country coach Jerry Baltes wants you to know.

First, if you work hard for him, he’s going to work just as hard for you. Second, if you want things done right, well, work hard. 

“I grew up on a farm in Northern Indiana and I learned how to work hard,” Baltes said. “If you want anything done, and done right, you work hard for it. And on the flip side, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right.”

For the past 23 years, Baltes and Grand Valley have been doing it right, and by many standards, better than the majority of the country.

Since taking over the Division 2 program as a self-described naive 24-year old, Baltes has led the Lakers to 13 national championships in track and cross country combined, and in cross country alone, the program has produced 37 top-10 finishes with 14 top-five finishes by the men’s team, in addition to 20 top-five finishes by the women’s squad, including six national championships.

And come this Saturday at the NCAA Division 2 Cross Country Championships at the Abbey Golf Course in Saint Leo, Fla., Baltes and Grand Valley have a chance to add to that total. Both the men and women enter the meet ranked No. 2 in the nation and have a chance to sweep both titles for the first time since 2018.

“We don’t talk a lot about the actual task of winning an NCAA Championship, we just simply try to focus on getting as good as we possibly can become, doing things the right way, working hard, training hard, living the right lifestyle,” Baltes said. “Certainly a lot of things have to go right (to win). I’ve had a lot of talented teams that thought they could win a national championship, that finished second or third. We are just focused on taking care of ourselves and competing to the best of our ability and we hope at the end of the day things work out and we get to stand on the podium.”

For the longtime Grand Valley coach, the simplistic approach to life and coaching are what define him personally and the program. They’ve been the blueprint for success for the Lakers’ program since he took over as head coach in 1998.

“I’m a very, very competitive person, whether it’s athletics or playing board games with the family,” Baltes said. “My goal was to come in here and work really, really hard to raise the level of the program as high as we could. And I’m fortunate I have incredible support and partnership with our administration, university and sharing the same vision of giving our student-athletes the best opportunities to succeed.”

Those success stories are the bread and butter of Grand Valley – providing an environment for the student-athletes to find their footing and flourish in athletics and academics.   

“I wanted to have coaches that I could trust and would work on developing me and my skills for running and give me the best shot at becoming successful,” junior Tanner Chada said. “And I felt Grand Valley was the best place for that.”

For Chada, who hails from Hinckley, Ill., he’s seen the benefits of the basic, but effective approach. Chada was part of the 2018 men’s national championship team and has seen his 10-kilometer time improve each season. At the Midwest Regional meet Nov. 6 at the Angel Mounds course in Evansville, Ind., he finished second in a personal-best time of 30.02.6, leading the Lakers to their 19th consecutive win at the regional level. 

“To be honest, I really don’t think there’s a magic bullet that Jerry has,” Chada said. “He really stresses a lot to us about us being a blue-collar program and talks about that a lot. He likes the fact that we don't necessarily get the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school, but we always develop guys into the top guys in the country.”

Chada said Grand Valley isn’t doing anything drastically different than other elite programs, but it’s been a culture of winning that’s been defined by knowing the expectations of coming in and doing your job to the best of your ability. 

“When you come to practice, it’s really just a time to block everything else off and focus on the job right now,” Chada said. “What we do really well is being able to turn off and on the running switch. When we leave practice, it’s time to focus on life, school, and having fun.”

What has made Grand Valley special is the definition of one program, and the combined success of both the men and women.

“We lift with them, we do yoga with them and it’s one big atmosphere around winning,” Chada said. “We want to see the women’s team do just as well and it’s nice to have another team that is experiencing the same emotions.”

At the Midwest Regional championships, the women’s team, led by junior transfer Hannah Becker, dominated the field, claiming the Lakers’ 20th consecutive crown. Becker was victorious in the 6-kilometer race in a personal-best 20:47.6. 

“This is a place where you’re expected to work hard and expected to embrace the lifestyle, and pursue individual and team goals that elevates the program,” Becker said. “There’s so many talented people on the team that elevate the program, and we all get better together. I think that's something you don’t find at a lot of D-2 programs.”

Chada said in 2018 it was truly a team effort to claim both titles. 

“I remember when the women won, Allie Ludge had come up to us after and said, ‘Seeing you guys win it, made us know we could do it,’” Chada said. 

Baltes said the idea of everyone under one umbrella and seeing the value of coming to a program and being part of something special is a driving force. He explained that to have that team chemistry and maintain it, it really starts with recruiting the right individual – something he’s adapted to over the years in order to find the right formula.

“I think early on as a naive 24-year old, you just wanted to recruit the fast person,” Baltes said. “The biggest thing we talk about is finding the right person, a good person. We certainly want the fast individuals, but we want the right people that are going to be great teammates and buy into what we are trying to do as a team, program and family. Ultimately we want someone who knows how to work hard and be patient and persistent.” 

While the team component is a driving factor of the culture and sustained success, both Chada and Becker explained running for Baltes was a big factor in deciding to come to Allendale, Mich. 

“I think Jerry is a really good combination of driven and passionate,” Becker said. ”He’s got this combination of light-heartedness and seriousness, and he’s really talented at what he does, and he loves the sport of running.”

Added Chada: He’s a small-town, hard-working farm boy for sure. A lot of people think he doesnt show emotions too much. He’s a tough guy, but we see him emotional all the time. We see how much he cares, and he’s definitely passionate. It’s super emotional hearing a pre- or post-race speech from him.” 

And come this Saturday, Baltes and Grand Valley have a chance to add to their growing legacies.

Baltes said it will be a tough challenge as they will race top-ranked Colorado School of Mines on the men’s side, the reigning champions from 2019 in Sacramento, since there was no Division 2 cross country finals last season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with No. 3 Adams State, which has captured a Division 2 record 13 team titles.

The women will be tested against top-ranked Adams State, also the defending champions from two years ago, with a Division 2 record 17 national titles overall.

But at the end of the day, Baltes said all he’s asking for from these student-athletes is to showcase all of the hard-work they’ve been putting in this fall. Grand Valley State has continued to do that each November for the past two decades, with the men making the podium at the past seven Division 2 cross country national finals, and the women placing in the top four in 17 of the past 18 championship meets. 

“For the core of this group, we were a bunch of kids that weren’t anything spectacular in high school, we didn't get a whole lot of looks from colleges, and Jerry took a chance on us,” Chada said. “Our goal was to not let him down.”

So far, they haven’t, and the Lakers will have another opportunity to showcase their hard work on the division’s biggest stage Saturday in Florida.

“It’s just a bunch of guys who really care about the sport, care about running for Grand Valley, and each other, and people work hard,” Chada said. “People work really hard to be here. People love being on the team. Ultimately people are happy and excited to run when they show up to practice, and I think that’s key.”