Lakers capture NCAA Division II outdoor track and field championship

For the first time since 2021, Grand Valley's men's track and field team is a national champion .

The Lakers won the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, on May 23 at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.

Grand Valley edged runner-up Pittsburg State, 66-61, in the final points tally, ending the Gorillas' four-year reign as national champions.

"Our guys competed so tough all the way through," said head coach Jerry Baltes. "To score 66 points is just outstanding."

The final individual event on May 23 - the 5,000-meter run - helped clinch the title for the Lakers. Senior Koby Fraaza sixth-place finish provided the necessary three points to secure the championship.

Fraaza contributed 10 total points to Grand Valley's final tally. On the meet's opening day, May 21, he won the 10,000-meter run to give the Lakers an early boost.

Fraaza wasn't the only national champion for the Lakers. Michael Griffey won the hammer throw while teammate Sebastian Tesch finished as national runner-up.

Other top finishers included:

• The 4x100-meter relay of Sam Mitas, Jason Hamilton II, Sam Coyle and Joshua Page placed fifth.
• The 4x400-meter relay of Aydan McCarey, Demarcus Chapa, Desmond Chapa and Page finished eighth.
• Page also finished third in the 400-meter run.
• Sam Paeth and Dolan Gonzales placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in the pole vault.
• Brandon Schirck placed eighth in the hammer throw.
• Joshua Hurt finished eighth in the 110-meter hurdles.
• Isaac Tavo placed fourth in the discus.
• Braden Prielipp placed seventh in the high jump.
• Owen Westerkamp (fifth), Flynn Pumpa (sixth), Noah Selvaraj (eighth) and Kyler Dean (10th) dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The title marks Baltes' third men's track and field national championship, adding to Grand Valley's indoor title in 2022 and outdoor title in 2021.

Overall, it is his ninth national championship as head coach of the men's and women's track and field teams. The women's team won the 2025 Division II outdoor title.

The victory also marks the 34th national championship in Grand Valley history and the university's second this year, following the women's basketball team's national title in March .