By the numbers

• All-Americans: 8    Big Ten Champions: 2    School Records (ILL): 15
• All-Americans (MVC): 20    World Champions: 1    Conference Champions (MVC): 33    
• School records (MVC): 6    All-Conference Selections (MVC): 72
• 2022 USTFCCCA Midwest Women's Assistant Coach of the Year

Bio

Lambert's third year at Illinois (2024-25) saw his most success yet leading Abria Smith to Big Ten Champion and national-runner up status in the shot put outdoors. She threw 18.85m (61-10 1/4) to earn her silver medal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to become the highest finisher in program history. A month prior, he coached Smith to Big Ten gold with her 17.95m (58-10 3/4) heave at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships to be the program's first event champion in 16 years. She also threw the outdoor program record and 14th-furtherst shot put in NCAA Outdoor history, 18.92m (62-1), under his guidance. 

During the indoor season he led Smith to All-American status with her seventh-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships on a school record throw, 17.99m (59-0 1/4). He coached three other throwers to earn First-Team All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships being Phethisang Makhethe (weight throw), Tyler Sudduth (shot put) and Jordan Koskondy (weight throw). 

In his second season (2023-24) he led Sudduth to a Big Ten Championship title in the weight throw where he threw 22.77m (74-8 1/2) to become the first on the podium for the Illini since Manning Platter in 2021. In the outdoor season Amber Simpson threw the new Big Ten record hammer throw at 70.21m (230-4) in her debut at the Gary Wieneke Memorial.

Both Simpson and Sudduth would later take home All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships under his direction. Simpson did so in the hammer throw (eighth, 67.73m (222-2)) becoming the first Illini woman ever in program history to earn those honors; while Sudduth did in the shot put (seventh, 19.67m (64-6 1/2)) to become the first Illini man this century to earn those honors in the event.

His freshman season with the Illini (2022-23) he coached Sudduth to become an All-American in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships where he placed eighth, 22.06m (72-4 1/2).

Lambert started at SIU in 2013 on a volunteer role where he was in charge of the hammer throwers and developmental athletes. He also assisted the throws coach in running the throws practice as well as the weight room. In 2015 he was promoted to an assistant and throwers coach. He was in charge of the throwing events and supervised the weight room for the throwers. Home meet management for the throwers and helping with appeal/equipment was also in is repertoire.

Lambert has produced 6 National Titles between USATF and NCAA, 20 NCAA All-Americans, 33 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Champions, 72 MVC All-Conference selections and 44 SIU all-time top ten marks. He is most known for producing Olympic/2019 World Champion hammer thrower Deanna Price. Price won the hammer throw at the 2016 NCAA Championships and placed eighth in the 2016 Olympics.

Lambert competed at SIU as a thrower prior to his coaching days. He broke four school records in the indoor/outdoor shot put, weight throw and hammer throw. He graduated from SIU with his Bachelor's in Sports Administration.