Travis Lambert, a 2020 Oley Valley grad who died in September in a car crash, honored at ceremony
The tears were difficult to hold back and the emotions were hard to control Saturday morning when Oley Valley honored the late Travis Lambert for earning 100 career wrestling win.
Lambert achieved his longtime high school goal of attaining 100 wins on Feb. 13 of last year. He was killed in a car crash on Sept. 12 near his home.
“Tragically this fall Travis was taken from us all too soon,” said Oley Valley athletic director Tim Rhoads during the ceremony. “Today he is recognized for his career accomplishments and the example he set for the future wrestlers at Oley Valley.”
Lambert, who graduated from Oley Valley in 2020, finished his wrestling career with 103 wins. He earned All-Berks honors in 2020.
But he was proudest of becoming the 10th wrestler in Oley Valley history to reach 100 wins. His name will forever be on the banner in the high school gym with the past and future Lynx who reach that milestone.
“I always wanted to get 100 wins and my name on a banner in the gym and that’s what I dedicated my time for,” Lambert said shortly after earning his 100th win last year in the Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School.
Memories of Lambert’s career were rekindled in a slide show prior to Saturday’s Berks II wrestling match against Kutztown. Family, friends and former teammates had a flood of emotions while seeing pictures of Lambert’s triumphs and his infectious smile when he was doing what he loved most, wrestling and hanging out with his teammates.
“It was pretty difficult,” said Trisha Moser, Travis’ mother.
Moser, her mother, Cindy Bortz, and Travis’ older brother, Dylan, were awarded a plaque and flowers in Travis’ memory. Dylan Lambert is a 2018 Oley Valley
graduate and spent two years on the high school wrestling team with his brother. Travis credited his older brother with being a major influence on his wrestling career and someone who pushed him to reach his goals.
“My brother helped me a lot,” Travis Lambert said in February. “He coached me through everything.”
Dylan Lambert is back at Oley Valley serving as an assistant coach. Although Travis is gone, his name forever will be remembered at Oley Valley as wrestlers strive to have their name put on the banner that hangs in the gym.
“His work ethic on the mat and in the wrestling room, his talent and his ability to overcome adversity throughout his wrestling career are admired by everyone who knew Travis and will forever be an inspiration for future Lynx wrestlers,” Rhoads said.