Jerry Baltes was named the 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coach of the Year. Baltes, in his 25th year as head coach at Grand Valley State, led the Lakers to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Joplin, Missouri. GVSU left no doubt as it sent scoring athletes across in 3-7-11-12-26 for a total of 59 points. That was 27 fewer than runner-up Adams State. Natalie Graber paced the Lakers with a third-place individual effort. During the regular season, GVSU racked up team titles at the Live in Lou XC Classic, the GLIAC Championships as well as the Midwest Region Championships.