News from the Hill

​Two time US Paralympian Noelle Lambert visited campus to meet Middle and Upper School students. Noelle shared her powerful story and spoke about overcoming various obstacles that her injury brought to her life. Students were moved by Noelle's determination and had time after to ask Noelle questions. 

Noelle Lambert was born in Londonderry, NH. Growing up, she attended Londonderry High School before enrolling at UMass Lowell. As a D1 athlete, she had a standout freshman lacrosse season, earning America East All-Rookie team honors. During the following summer, Lambert suffered a life-changing injury from a moped accident, resulting in the amputation of her left leg above the knee. Despite the tragic incident, Lambert never let the severity of her injury defeat her. She returned to the lacrosse field in April of 2018, just 18 months after the accident, where she caught a pass in front of the net and fired a shot past the goalie to score for ULowell. The emotional celebration with her teammates that followed the goal represented a culmination of all the time and effort Noelle had dedicated to getting back on the field, defying the odds of such a life changing incident.

After graduating in 2019, Lambert made the switch from lacrosse to track & field for the US Paralympic National Team. She placed 4th in the 100-meter race at the World Para Athletics championship meet, setting a U.S. record for the race with a time of 16.31 seconds which earned her a spot on Team USA for the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo. In Tokyo, Lambert finished in 6th place–running the 100-meter race in 15.97 seconds. Not only was this a personal best for Lambert, but 15.97 seconds is now the current American record. Noelle recently competed in Paris 2024 placing 4th in the long jump and 7th in the 100m. 

Not one to be satisfied with being a world-class para-athlete in one sport, Noelle took up snowboarding in March of 2021. By November, she was competing at the Europa Cup in The Netherlands where she placed 4th. She now also has her sights set on competing in the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy. 

In 2018, Lambert founded The Born to Run Foundation, which aims to provide amputees with prosthetics that will allow them to run again. She believes she can be a source of inspiration and help children who have a limb amputated because she can relate to what they are going through. Noelle recently appeared on Season 43 of Survivor, quickly becoming a fan favorite with her inspirational story and pure grit. She went on to finish in the top eight of the competition. Noelle is a recipient of the Myra Kraft Community MVP Award, the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, the New England Women’s Leadership Award by the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, MA, was honored by the Boston Celtics as a “Hero Among Us” for her commitment to helping others, and was recently named to the Paralympian Power Player Program. In 2020 she was chosen as the national honoree for the L’Oreal Women of Worth Award for her charitable work in her community. Noelle resides in Manchester, New Hampshire, with her fiancée Mark, and their goldendoodle, Ollie.