The Canandaigua City School District Department of Athletics is excited to announce the appointment of Lauren Lamb as the first Head Coach of the Girls Wrestling team at Canandaigua Academy. Coach Lamb brings experience, energy, and a strong commitment to empowering student-athletes on and off the mat. Coach Lamb has assisted Canandaigua Wrestling Head Coach Mike Cuppernell as our girls’ wrestling program has grown in numbers since Canandaigua started the first girls’ wrestling team in Section V in 2022. Coach Cuppernell will remain the head boys’ coach and will support Coach Lamb with the girls’ program.

Last year was the first year that Section V hosted an official girls’ tournament and Canandaigua had three champions - the most of any Section V school and these three athletes - Ja’Niyah Simmons, Josie Lamb, and Mikyla Irby - also represented Section V at the first ever New York State Girls Wrestling Championships at the MVP Arena in Albany.

Coach Lamb has an impressive background in wrestling. Lauren (Wolfe) Lamb is a six-time U.S. National Champion, having claimed titles in 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2002. She was selected to represent the United States on six World Wrestling Teams—1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2002—and earned two fifth-place finishes and one eighth-place finish at the Women's World Championships. In 1997, Lamb claimed the Pan American Championship.

Coach Mike Cuppernell, Canandaigua Academy Class of 2001 shared, “Coach Lamb has been an unbelievable asset to the Canandaigua Wrestling community. It has been an absolute pleasure working beside her as we have grown the Canandaigua Girls’ Wrestling program. I first met Lauren while she was training as an athlete and looking to make the US Olympic team while I was a senior at Canandaigua Academy. She has always been a technician, hard worker, and a fierce competitor. I look forward to continuing to work with her and carry on the rich tradition of Canandaigua wrestling - for both boys and girls.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Lamb to the Canandaigua coaching team,” said Caroline Chapman, Director of Athletics. “She is a strong advocate for girls in sports and will be a tremendous asset to the growth of our wrestling program. She was a pioneer in the sport of girls’ wrestling and her leadership and vision will help build a competitive and supportive environment for our student-athletes.”

Coach Lamb is a graduate of Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan and was the first female in Michigan to wrestle in over 100 matches. She was named an inaugural member of the Okemos High School Hall of Fame and the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame. She earned her degree from Cornell University in chemistry and trained with their men’s wrestling team throughout college. She currently works in the medical device industry, owns a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym in Rochester, and lives in Canandaigua with her husband, Casey, and four children.