Updated: Apr 12, 2020
Senior Matthew Lambert has been running his whole life; he ran both cross country and track in middle and high school. Lambert became a shining star on the track which caused colleges to take notice. In his senior year he ran a 17:14 minutes in the 5k, 4:33 in 1500M, competed in the Cross Country Meet of Champions three times in his high school career, his coaches watched his running accomplishments as they continue to grow. Lambert recently committed to Wheaton College in Massachusetts where he will be majoring in visual arts with a minor in psychology.
“I picked Wheaton for a ton of different reasons, their smaller size gives me a one on one teaching environment that I work so well in,” Lambert said. “Their faculties are very impressive, including the art building where I will be spending a lot of time there." According to Lambert, the Winnacunnet coaches and teammates gave him a team environment where he could have fun but also work hard. Lambert shared that his coaches taught him determination, sportsmanship, grit and other skills that he will use when he runs in college. Cross Country and Spring track coach Jason Saltmarsh has been either one of his track or cross country coaches all four years of high school to help him with his cross country and track and field career.
“I'm going to miss him next year. I know that he'll find success at Wheaton and I couldn't be prouder. Go Lambo,” Saltmarsh said.
Lambert's parents, Julie and Ted, helped him step-by-step through the college process by attending tours with him, helping him with his portfolio and being a good support system. His parents were there at meets and always cheering him on. According to Julie Lambert, Matt always knew he wanted to run in college.
“We helped Matt talk through what he wanted out of his college experience. “ Julie Lambert said. “He knew pretty early on that the time commitment needed to run at a division three school was in line with everything else he wanted,”.
Matt Lambert said his parents have always been supportive of his athletic career. They always are cheering him on through all of his athletic accomplishments.
“I’m pretty hard on myself results-wise and my parents have always been there to put a positive spin on everything, that's been super helpful and I’m grateful for it,” Matt Lambert said.
Lambert's teammates and coaches are all proud of all of what he accomplished through his high school career. Saltmarsh gave one last piece of coaching advice for Matt “Try the steeplechase next year. You've raced at the XC New England championships and qualified for states in the 55 high hurdles, enough said.”
According to teammate Colin Donnelly Matt Lambert is a good runner because he takes his training very seriously, he is wholly invested in the sport. He is always going to the coaches for feedback and is always hungry to improve athletically.
“As a teammate, he is probably one of the most supportive people to have around whether you are someone new to the team or a senior like me.” Donnelly said. “He also may not realize it, but he motivates me a lot to go above and beyond with my training and not just simply running, I will miss having someone who is similarly invested in the sport to motivate me.”