Baltes, in his 22nd year at Grand Valley State, was named the National Men’s Coach of the Year. He led the Lakers to their first outdoor national title in program history at the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. GVSU scored 76 points across eight events, including a whopping 44 in mid-distance and distance events. During the regular season, Baltes guided the Lakers to the team title at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships, where they scored 300.5 points thanks to 24 podium finishes. GVSU ended the regular season with a staggering 10 top-10 #EventSquad Rankings, headlined by the No. 1 spot in the 800.