LOWELL, Mass. – Getting ready for the spring season means a little bit of fall competition for the UMass Lowell women’s lacrosse team. On Saturday October 12, the squad will host a fall tournament to raise money for Noelle Lambert’s (’19) non-profit organization, the Born to Run Foundation.
 
Following a moped accident on Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 2016, which resulted in the amputation of her left leg above the knee, Lambert looked to the brighter side of life. Receiving her first prosthetic nine months after the accident she was determined to push herself further in hopes to run with the team again.
 
Coming back to the squad as a student coach for the 2017 season, Lambert continued to train with the team and persevere. On April 7, 2018 against Hartford, she made her comeback at the end of the first half when she ripped a shot off the turf, that slid past the keeper to connect with the back of the net.
 
With the inspiration of Boston Marathon bombing survivor Heather Abbott, who donated a waterproof prosthetic to Lambert right after her accident and seeing how costly prosthetics can get.  Noelle decided to take matters into her own hands and start a non-profit organization giving amputees the same freedom she felt when she was able to run again, by providing them with special types of prosthetics.
 
After graduating this past spring, Lambert continues to make strides in her work with providing prosthetics to amputees. Most recently, Noelle and her efforts were recognized by the New England Patriots at the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards where she was presented with a $10,000 grant.
 
 Lambert isn’t stopping there as she set another goal for herself to reach the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Noelle was most recently ranked eighth in the World Para Athletics Rankings in the women’s 100m T63 (Athletes with single above the knee amputation who compete in running or jumping using a prosthesis) after completing a time of 16.85 seconds in the Paris Grand Prix on August 29.
 
Looking to help their fellow River Hawk, the women’s lacrosse team will be hosting the first-ever Born2Run Fall Tournament taking place on the second Saturday in October. Donations are strongly encouraged as 100% of the proceeds will go to the Born to Run Foundation, as well as t-shirts on sale during the event.
 
The first round of play will be on Wicked Blue Field with the River Hawks taking on Quinnipiac for an 11 a.m. start time. A big thank you goes to the five schools; Quinnipiac, UConn, UNH, Adelphi and Dartmouth for participating and taking part in such a great cause.

For more information on Noelle’s foundation and how to get involved, click here. 

Tournament Schedule: