Track and Field Head Coach Keri Lambert emphasizes a positive team culture with a hands-on approach. With a background rooted in a passion for the sport and a deep-seated love for fostering growth, Lambert seamlessly integrates teaching into her coaching approach. Her coaching extends beyond athletic ability to nurturing a community where each member uplifts the other.
Lambert’s career in running began as a way to connect with her brothers, eventually turning into a passion of her own as she competed from middle school through her undergraduate college career. While pursuing her doctorate at Yale University, she volunteered to be an assistant coach on the Women’s Cross Country team, a role she would fill for the next six years, giving her insight into the world of coaching.
“When I was pursuing my doctorate at Yale, I really missed the structure and community of athletics, so I reached out to the head coach of the Women’s Cross Country team there to see if she needed any help with the team. She welcomed me on board, and I ended up being a volunteer grad assistant for Yale Track and Cross Country for the next six seasons. I met some great people and learned a ton about coaching and training. I was very excited to get back into coaching here at Andover,” wrote Lambert in an email to The Phillipian.
For athletes on the team, Lambert’s commitment to fostering a connected community within Track and Field is clear. Russell Robinson ’25 noted that, although she had not typically coached his event, Lambert has recently taken on the position with eagerness.
Robinson said, “Recently, due to a shortage of track coaches, she has stepped up in Track and Field in many ways. She is taking a more hands-on approach to track. She is normally a long-distance coach, but she has filled in with the short distance that I run. I am very impressed with her… Her dedication to the team, knowing everyone’s name, and building a community.”
Despite Track and Field being one of the largest teams on campus, Lambert has managed to be a guiding force for new athletes. Carson Leach ’27 shared that while she’s only been on the team for a short time, she has already felt Lambert’s support.
Leach said, “She put me in an event I had never done before. She knew that I was capable of doing the high jump, and she pushed me to be better. When I asked to be put in the 55-Meter [Dash], she was like, ‘Sure.’ She likes to see the Freshmen grow.”
According to Robinson, Lambert emphasizes health, community, and kindness within Track and Field. He noted specific activities that help athletes stick to these core values.
“After every practice, she gets up in front of the whole track team to talk about the schedule of the day. She always stresses sleeping and eating well. She wants us all to stay healthy. Each track season, we take 40 minutes to talk about team norms that we should have as a track program. She will take the list and make a big board. She wants us to make a community, even [with] schools outside of us… She always wants us to be kind to each other and the other teams because competition is what builds growth,” said Robinson.
Lambert hopes that members of Track and Field will not just commit to their own achievements, but their teammates’ too. For example, supporting each other from the sidelines, cheering people on through practice and meets.
“I hope team members will invest in one another’s well being and performances. The ideal PATF, [Phillips Andover Track and Field], team member should measure their own success not just by their own marks or times, but by how positively they impact those around them. For instance, by being a steady training partner, an enthusiastic cheerer, a role model for good sportsmanship, a kind friend, etc.,” Lambert wrote in an email to The Phillipian.
