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Strength, Conditioning & Performance Coach Courtney Lampert '18 '24 is Passionate About Helping People  
Beth Staples

Courtney Lampert ’18, ’24 was a star lacrosse player at Colby-Sawyer College; the all-conference defender led the Chargers to two league championship games. Now, as the school’s first strength, conditioning and performance coach, she wants today’s student-athletes to be even better than she was.  

“Part of that is offering things to them that I didn’t have,” said Lampert.  

The offerings include guidance in weight training, nutrition and sports psychology. She gained expertise in these and other areas as one of the first graduates of Colby-Sawyer’s nine-month Master of Science in Exercise Science (MSES) program.

“I want to help build this program [strength, conditioning and performance] from the ground up,” said Lampert, who earned her undergraduate degree in nursing. 

“I know how much Colby-Sawyer has to offer and I want to be a part of making that even better.” 

Builds relationships 

During preseason meetings, Lampert or an MSES fellow talks with each coach about the prior season’s successes and gaps, as well as any recurring injuries that student-athletes sustained. 

Together, they devise a training plan to help each team meet its goals. 

Lampert finds it particularly rewarding to work with student-athletes in the weight room; that’s where she sees personalities shine and camaraderie develop. 

“They might be an all-star on the court, or track, or field, but they might be uncomfortable in the weight room, and you get to see them push themselves out of their comfort zone,” she said.  “And, you might have a student-athlete who isn’t getting a lot of playing time but they excel in the weight room and their teammates hype them up.” 

Lampert also leads teams through visualization techniques so they can set their intentions before a big game. 

She said she’s fortunate to see student-athletes develop their physical and mental skills, and enjoys being a resource and source of support. “I value the relationships that I get to form with these athletes." 

A Good Match 

Being a student-athlete was important for Lampert — who as a 6-year-old dreamed of playing in the WNBA. That goal shifted, she said, when she peaked at 5-foot, 4-inches tall.  

When she was a student at Pinkerton Academy, the largest independent secondary school in the country, DIII colleges weren’t initially on her radar — for academics or athletics. 

“I decided my junior year I wanted to go to school for nursing and my dad found Colby-Sawyer,” she said.

“I didn’t know where New London was. He signed me up for a tour and I didn’t even want to go.” 

She’s grateful now that she did. The stunning campus, nursing program and lacrosse team changed her mind about attending a small school.

“Colby-Sawyer definitely felt like a community, it felt like a family,” she said.

“It was a good match for my academics and athletics.” 

Found Her Voice

Lampert said being immersed in rigorous courses and practices and being surrounded by encouraging professors, coaches and friends spurred her development as a student, athlete and person. 

“I grew as a leader and found my voice,” Lampert said. “I knew that I could work hard and be proud of the work. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without being on a team of people who I knew supported me no matter what.” 

Anatomy and other core nursing courses were particularly enlightening. “I love the science and the ‘why’ of why things happen with our body,” said Lampert, who also enjoyed an elective coaching class. 

After commencement, Lampert, an RN, picked up overtime nursing shifts and tried CrossFit as she sought to adjust to life without lacrosse. About a year later, when the CSC lacrosse coach asked her to be an assistant coach, Lampert was thrilled. 

“It was exactly what I had been missing so desperately,” said Lampert, who is now also an assistant field hockey coach at her alma mater. “I realized that the more time I spent on campus, the more time I spent with the team, the more time I spent coaching, I knew that was what lit a fire for me.” 

Only Scratched the Surface

A hospital coworker told Lampert in 2023 that Colby-Sawyer was launching an MSES program.

Lampert said the opportunity to be an inaugural fellow and earn an online master’s degree in nine months without having to write a thesis made the decision an easy one. 

“We had a great crew [of students],” she said about her cohort.

“And seeing how quickly the student-athletes were so invested in it, and with the support from coaches and the administration, it was better than I could have expected.” 

Lampert initially became interested in nursing as a middle-schooler when her beloved grandmother died of breast cancer.

“I wanted to be in a position where I could help people,” she said. “And as a young kid, that meant being a nurse.” 

While her career path has evolved, Lampert said her nursing education benefits her as a strength, conditioning and performance coach.

“I truly value the time I was a nurse. My passion still lies in helping people — it’s just now I help student-athletes,” she said. 

"I’m really happy where my feet are right now. We’ve only scratched the surface of what strength, conditioning and performance can look like at Colby-Sawyer.”