Although he was recently named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year (USTFCCCA), Grand Valley State University head coach Jerry Baltes said the award has little to do with himself.

“It takes a team to get to this point,” he said. “I wouldn’t be recognized for Coach of the Year without a great team and a great administration. The award signifies the well-roundedness of the total program. It’s everyone involved – the trainers, the athletes and the coaches.”

After leading the women’s cross-country team to its first national championship in school history, Baltes will now look for similar success from his indoor track teams, which won the 2009-2010 USTFCCCA Program of the Year award for the second-straight season.

In addition to Program of the Year and Coach of the Year, the women’s team was showered with several other honors – assistant coach Joe Lynn was named Assistant Coach of the Year, senior runner Candice Wheat was named Track Athlete of the Year and junior red-shirt runner Liz Murphy was named field athlete of the year.

“We’ve got a great administration and a great school to recruit to, which attracts athletes,” Baltes said. “We’ve got great student athletes that work really hard and a lot of great coaches that help those athletes reach their full potential. It’s a great team from top to bottom.”

GVSU athletic director Tim Selgo pointed out that despite track’s tendency to focus on individuals, the GVSU team puts an emphasis on teamwork and depth.

“We have a better team atmosphere and team togetherness than most other programs,” he said. “I think that’s due to the leadership of Jerry (Baltes) and his entire staff.”

Senior runner Megan Maceratini agreed and said both the coaches and the other runners help to create an atmosphere cohesive to success.

“I think there’s just something special about Grand Valley,” she said. “There are so many people pushing you and working with you. There’s so much support. I think the culture of the school goes above and beyond to make sure we’re the best we can be.”

Despite the amount of teamwork put into the team, Selgo was quick to point out that before Baltes took over as head coach in 1999, neither GVSU track and field nor cross-country had won a conference-level championship.

“Now we regularly win them,” Selgo said. “Jerry has brought us to a new level. He’s done a phenomenal job of putting our program on the map and making it one of the best – if not the best – program in the country.”

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