Courtesy of USTFCCCA Communications
NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2022 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season were announced on Friday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Member coaches voted on the honors following the completion of the 2022 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas, but considered performances from both that meet as well as during the regular season.
Saginaw Valley State's Cheyenne Williamson (Essexville, Mich.) was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year following her standout junior season. Williamson broke the NCAA DII record in the pentathlon in winning the multi at the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships. She totaled 4929 points in Pittsburg, Kansas, which shattered the previous all-time best by nearly 100 points. Williamson also finished fourth in the long jump with a mark of 6.10m (20-0¼). She scored 26 points in field events at the GLIAC Indoor Championships behind victories in both the long jump and pentathlon, as well as a third-place effort in the high jump.
Grand Valley State head coach Jerry Baltes was honored as midwest region men's coach of the year. In his 23rd year at Grand Valley State, Baltes guided the Lakers to the program’s first indoor title at the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships. Grand Valley State recorded 66 points and had a gender-high 15 First-Team All-American athletes. Earlier this year, Grand Valley State also captured the team title at the GLIAC Championships with 257 points behind 12 event crowns. The Lakers won by 141 points over the runner-up team.
Reynado Radlin, a member of Baltes' staff at Grand Valley State, earned midwest region men's assistant coach of the year. Radlin, in his fourth year at GVSU, coached the Lakers’ sprint/hurdle group to six First Team All-American honors. His standouts included Brandon Miller, who won the 200 at the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships (and ran on the 4×400 relay team that finished sixth) and Makiyah Smallwood, who placed sixth in the 60 meter hurdles.
