Students walking into the Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center (the SAW) might be greeted by the sound of Strength and Conditioning Coach Curt Lamb’s shouts of “Good job! Now give me another set!”
Or they might be greeted by the sight of Lamb with a mop and bucket, cleaning the bleachers because he saw a need and filled it.
Although he is quick to point out that his title no longer fits on his business cards, the number of hats he willingly wears covers a variety of duties. He is the first full-time dual assistant athletic director and strength and conditioning coach. He also holds the title of Wellness Center coordinator.
“He is always at the SAW no matter the time of day,” says All-American volleyball player Clare Green ’25. “His attitude never changes whether it’s 6 in the morning or 6 at night, and that is a quality I want to implement in my life. He gives us his all, no matter the time of day, and we never hear him complain.”
Strength and conditioning
Lamb is the strength coach for Cornell’s NCAA Division III athletics teams during their seasons and off-seasons. Each team works with Lamb an average of two to three times a week, doing workouts Lamb has designed specifically for that team. Student-athletes say they notice a difference.
“He puts together workouts that include movements that directly translate to the football field,” says Gavin Soukup ’26. “His workouts have greatly improved my maxes and helped me become quicker and more explosive.”
Cornell student-athletes benefit from Lamb’s experience helping run an Olympic weight room as an undergrad, working with minor and major league teams in different sports, and working as the associate athletic director for sports performance at Limestone University—one of the largest athletic departments in NCAA Division II with more than 800 student-athletes.
He is only the second full-time strength coach in Cornell’s history, and he has been working to emphasize a student-athlete-led culture where he’s not the one getting students to the weightroom; instead, students become leaders and take it upon themselves to get to the gym and encourage their teammates to do the same. Lamb sees a lot of growth in the student-athletes throughout the year.
“We do our testing and say, ‘here’s where you started, here’s where we are,’ but that’s not the end goal for me,” Lamb says. “The end goal is, are we moving better on the field, are we playing more minutes, are we staying a little more durable?”
Lamb cares more about proper form than how many plates a student-athlete stacks on the bar. He focuses on each individual, evaluating their movements and knowledge of lifting. He starts with teaching the basics and then progresses as each individual is ready to advance—balancing agility, strength, and speed.
Each workout is adjusted based on how an individual student’s body moves, where they are mentally, and what they’re physically able to process that day.
“His lifts are specific to each sport and each person,” Green says, “He cares about the athletes as people and what we need that day during the lift. As an athlete, I am grateful because this makes me and my team stronger.”
Beyond the weight room
Lamb has earned a reputation for caring about Cornell and its student-athletes.
“Curt always has the energy and respect of the student-athletes,” says Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications Kerry Kahl. “Besides strength and conditioning, he works very closely with our admin team helping out the entire department, so he’s valuable in lots of different ways. No job is too small for Curt.”
And Lamb never loses track of the end goal—helping student-athletes to become better prepared for life after sports and college.
“I’m trying to teach things like taking accountability, showing up on time, getting your stuff done in a timely manner, being attentive, and asking questions,” Lamb says. “And then I try to give them a system of wellness they can take with them after college.”
Students are expected to work hard during training and to communicate with Lamb when issues come up.
“Coach Lamb pushes us to be our best selves,” says Peyton Souhrada ’26.
“He is a true asset to Cornell. He cares about us not just as student-athletes but as people, and he wants to see us succeed both on and off the field.”
From the moment he walks into the SAW to the moment he goes home at night, Lamb cares about his students. He goes beyond muscle strength and promotes strength of character in and out of the weight room. He wants what is best for each student-athlete, whether that is a modified squat, a friendly ear during a tough block, or a clean set of bleachers at the gym.