Amherst College Women's Lacrosse

Paradis is fresh off a season that saw the Purple & White post a 13-5 overall record and return to the NESCAC Semifinals and NCAA Third Round.  With a career coaching record of 271-97 (.736), Paradis has molded the Amherst women's lacrosse program into one of the most successful in the nation, and led Amherst to a program-record 19 wins in 2014 en route to earning IWLCA Berkshire Region Coach of the Year honors and returning Amherst to the NCAA Division III Championship semifinals for the first time since the 2004 season and making its sixth semifinal appearance overall. It was Amhersts 11th NCAA playoff appearance as the team improved to 22-10 all-time in national postseason play. The Purple & White opened the 2016 campaign winning 11 out of their first 13 games and finishing  6-1 at home. After reaching the NESCAC Semifinals for the second time in three years, the Purple & White earned an at-large bid to the national tournament. Following a first round bye, Amherst defeated York, 12-7 in Second Round action, before falling to Gettysburg, 12-4 in the Third Round.  Paradis has guided the team to back-to-back ECAC Championships (1997, 1998); nine trips to the national quarterfinals (1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014); six berths in the NCAA Final Four (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003,2004, 2014); a trio of appearances in the national title game (1999, 2001, 2003), and the program's first-ever NCAA Championship title in 2003. The 2003 Warrior/Inside Lacrosse, IWLCA and Womens Lacrosse.com Division III Coach of the Year, Paradis was a standout field hockey and lacrosse player at the College of William & Mary before graduating in 1984, and was later chosen to represent the United States on both the National and World Cup Lacrosse Teams. She gained valuable coaching experience as an assistant at Springfield College and Yale University, and coached the Amherst field hockey team to eight consecutive postseason appearances, including a trio of NCAA Tournament berths and a trip to the NCAA Championship final in 1999. Paradis was inducted into the William & Mary Athletic Hall of Fame and gained induction in the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in January of 2004. In addition to her passion for lacrosse, Paradis is also a certified Yoga Instructor and serves as the Wellness Director for the Athletic Department, bringing holistic practices and programming to our campus. Recently, Paradis published an article entitled Coaching as a Spiritual Practice, which illustrates her commitment to create a culture of competing and coaching with heart and mindful awareness.  Read Paradis' IWLCA published article Coaching as a Spiritual Practice Christine Paradis' Career Coaching Record: (23rd season, 271-97 overall) 1995: 9-6 1996: 9-5 1997: 12-4 1998: 12-3 1999: 14-3 2000: 11-1 2001: 17-3 2002: 14-3 2003: 18-2 2004: 16-3 2005: 12-4 2006: 14-4 2007: 9-7 2008: 15-4 2009: 6-8 2010: 11-5 2011: 9-6 2012: 13-5 2013: 9-6 2014: 19-3 2015: 9-7 2016: 13-5   Christine Paradis' Career Coaching Record: (23rd season, 271-97 overall)

Brooke Diamond O'Brien '03 joined the women's lacrosse staff as the head coach in the summer of 2022. The 2026 season is her fourth season with the Mammoths. In her three seasons, O'Brien coached the Mammoths to a 28-20 combined record, reaching the NESCAC Quarterfinals three times, and has reached the NCAA Tournament once. She has seen Mia Raven '27, and Lily Samoska '28 win NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2024 and 2025, respectively. She has seen her players succeed in the classroom, with the 2024 team earning being named an Academic Honor Squad, with 11 student-athletes garnering IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll selections.  O'Brien returns to Amherst after spending the previous 15 years as the head coach of women's lacrosse at Washington & Lee University, where she compiled a 221-60 (.786 win percentage) mark and was named conference coach of the year nine times. She guided the Generals to a 19-3 mark in 2022, a conference championship and a spot in the NCAA Div. III Tournament quarterfinals.  A native of Longmeadow, Mass., and an alumnus of the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn., O'Brien graduated Magna Cum Laude from Amherst in 2003 with a bachelor of arts in psychology and law, jurisprudence and social thought. She earned a total of 12 letters as a member of the women's lacrosse, women's soccer and women's basketball teams and served as a captain for all three sports. In lacrosse, she was a two-time First Team All-America selection and two-time Kelly Award winner as the Division III National Goaltender of the Year. She was named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was selected the Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in leading the then Lord Jeffs to the 2003 National Championship.   O'Brien's coaching career began at Amherst in 2005 as a graduate assistant women's lacrosse coach and she also coached at Smith College until 2007. At Amherst, O'Brien assisted in all aspects of the program and helped lead the then Lord Jeffs to a No. 6 ranking and the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2006. At Smith, O'Brien coached the women's soccer team as an assistant and helped guide it to a 14-7-1 record and an ECAC New England Championship during the 2006 season.  

Serena Pisacano joined the Amherst College women's lacrosse staff in September of 2024, and is entering her first season with the Mammoths.  Most recently, Piscano was a graduate assistant lacrosse coach at Smith College from 2022-2024. She earned her master’s degree in exercise and sport studies from Smith in 2024. In her time coaching the Pioneers, they made two NEWMAC tournament appearances and fashioned the best conference finish in program history while having two athletes selected to the All-NEWMAC team. While at Smith, Piscacno was a member of Smith Athletics DEI council. In addition, she was selected to participate in NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar (ELS) in Indianapolis and performed game management duties for the Pioneers' field hockey and soccer programs  She also acted as a teaching fellow for the Smith exercise and sports studies department classes. At Earlham, Piscano was an All-Conference attack for the Quakers in her senior season, She led Earlham with 21 goals and a program high 14 assists. She was also named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Squad that season. She graduated as the all-time leader in assists for the women's lacrosse program.  Pisacano graduated from Earlham in 2022, where she was a double major in geology and music.   

Erica Erb joined the Amherst Women’s Lacrosse coaching staff in the fall of 2023 after spending four years in the United Kingdom. The 2025 season is her second with the Mammoths. Erb is currently an assistant coach for British Lacrosse Women’s Sixes which saw Team GB compete in the World Games in Birmingham, AL in July of 2022. The team is currently preparing for a Sixes Lacrosse Invitational Tournament in Hong Kong that will take place at the end of December 2023. Erb also served as the head coach for the Wales Women’s Lacrosse National Team. Erb led Wales in the 2022 World Championship in Towson, MD where the team claimed the #9 world ranking after completion of the tournament. In the summer of 2023, Erb coached in The Fly tournament hosted by England Lacrosse as the head coach for the men’s Rise Sixes team.  Prior, Erb served as the head coach for the Women’s 1s at the University of Exeter. During her first season in 2019-2020, the team was undefeated heading into the BUCS National Championship before the game was canceled due to COVID-19.  Previously, Erb spent two years at St. Helen and St. Katharine Day School in Abingdon, England. There, she coached the Senior lacrosse teams while working as a full-time member of the PE teaching department. Erb spent her playing career at Old Dominion University. ODU made appearances in the CAA Championship Tournament during her sophomore and senior seasons. 2009 saw the Monarchs ranking as high as #18 in NCAA Division I.  While in the United Kingdom Erb earned a double-masters in international business and psychology.