When determining the best players in a program’s history, many people would first think to open the record books. If you were to look at the all-time leaders for the Otterbein Women’s Basketball program, one name that would continue popping up is Dalton, Ohio native Jen Lambert.

A four-year starter from 1993-97, Lambert was the first recruit in the era of head coach Connie Richardson. A long, athletic and knowledgeable player, Lambert became a standout post presence for the Cardinals en route to earning All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) honors every season; one first team, two second team and an honorable mention.

Otterbein’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ as a junior and senior, Lambert helped the team win a postseason game in three of her four years and ultimately set multiple school records. She graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,498 points and, although that record was broken 11 years later (she now sits second), Lambert still remains Otterbein’s all-time leader in rebounds (974), rebounds per game (12.0) and steals (283). She was a great weapon atop the team’s full-court press, routinely causing problems and forcing the opposition into turnovers.

Lambert was also consistent in the classroom as a model of educational growth, earning a pair of Academic All-OAC awards while majoring in English and Secondary Education. She put her degree to good use following graduation, becoming a teacher in Westerville City Schools where she also served as a varsity assistant basketball coach.

She married Silas Bowers, also an Otterbein graduate, on New Year’s Eve in 2007. The couple now has two children together.