CARBONDALE, Ill. — New Southern Illinois track & field head coach Rosalind Joseph announced on Tuesday that throws coach J.C. Lambert will remain with the program.

“Coach Lambert is a tremendous asset to the SIU family,” Joseph said. “I know he is one of the most proven and highly regarded throws coaches in the country. His talents give him many options to leave for a similar position, but I am thrilled to be able to keep he and his fiancee, (Saluki Olympic thrower) Deanna Price, here at his alma mater.” 

A native of nearby Harrisburg who graduated from SIU in 2013, the 28-year-old Lambert ranked among the most accomplished throwers in Southern’s history as a five-time All-American and seven-time Missouri Valley Conference champion. With Lambert as SIU’s throws coach the past three seasons, Saluki throwers have excelled on the national and international stage. Last weekend, Lambert coached Price at the Athletics World Cup in London. 

Lambert got his start in coaching shortly after graduation when he served as a volunteer assistant at SIU under former head coach Connie Price-Smith and throws coach John Smith. At the same time, he continued his own competitive career in which he took second in the weight throw at the USA Senior Indoor National Championships and fourth in the hammer throw at the USATF Championships in 2015. He placed eighth in the hammer throw at the 2016 Olympic Trials. 

“I became a student of the sport, listened to everything John and Connie had to say, and he started giving me responsibilities as a volunteer assistant coach,” Lambert recalled. “John did a great job of guiding me and grooming me to become a coach. The more they did for me, the more I wanted to do for them.”

When Price-Smith left in the summer of 2015 to become head coach at Ole Miss and was replaced by Kathleen Raske, Lambert decided to make coaching his livelihood.

“I didn’t want to watch what Connie and John built up go away,” he said. “Saluki track & field is a nationally renowned program and a reason why people around the world know what a Saluki is.” 

His coaching career is off to an impressive start with 10 All-Americans and 16 Missouri Valley Conference champions in just three seasons. He guided Price to an NCAA championship in the hammer throw in 2016 and she went on to place eighth in the Olympics that year. Josh Freeman also took eighth place in the shot put at the Olympic Trials.

“First and foremost, Southern Illinois holds a special place in my heart,” Lambert said. “I’m really excited about the direction of Saluki Athletics and the track program under Coach Joseph. I want to stay a part of that. The kids I have on the team are all hard workers and I see a lot of potential in the group. I would like to get it back to the glory days of what John and Connie did, develop them and watch them grow and be successful in the classroom and on the field.”