Bio

A three-sport athlete in Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse with a double major in Economics and Spanish, Paula Andres O'Brien’s accomplishments are etched all over the Wellesley record books.  She was a four-year starter for all three teams earning national All-American recognition in both cross country and lacrosse. Paula is the only cross country runner to compete all 4 years at the NCAA championships – earning National All-American honors three times. Paula made the All-New England Team in 1987 and in 1989 finished second at NCAA Regionals, the best finish at regionals in program history. In basketball, Paula led the team in scoring with 273 points in 1988 and finished her career with 874 points. Her lacrosse career included a record 70 points and 51 goals and she was named an Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American in 1988. Paula was twice named the Outstanding Wellesley Athlete of the Year as a first-year and sophomore.

When I first heard I had been elected to the Wellesley College Athletics Hall of Fame, I was really humbled. I was so touched just to be nominated, and to be chosen as a member of the inaugural class is beyond anything I would have imagined. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

First of all, to have the opportunity to play sports in college was a huge dream of mine and actually led me to Wellesley College in the first place. Then, to be able to represent our school in three sports for each of my four years was even more amazing. And, to have had such success thanks to the coaches who helped me to achieve my best performances, the beautiful sports facilities, and the many talented and driven women whom I am truly honored to have had as teammates and team managers, well, I really could not have asked for more...but wait, now I am receiving this amazing honor? Words cannot adequately describe how I feel, cannot fully encompass all that this experience means to me.

Receiving this honor inspired me to reflect back on my athletic experiences at Wellesley in a way I hadn’t really done before. This process deepened my appreciation for these experiences and the lessons I learned, whether in “the heat of battle” or just chilling out on the way back from a game or a meet. It also deepened my understanding of how integral sports were to my academic success as well. Athletics helped give me balance, and a way to manage the stress of the academic workload. I was inspired to build a much broader perspective of what learning is, and to be open to lessons and opportunities I might not have seen otherwise.

Just two of the fun memories from my athletics career—I thought back to when I ran in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship meet my senior year, when I had a “W” shaved into the back of my head and I dyed it blue...so people could see who was beating them! Then, there was the post-game celebration of our 1986 basketball team’s conference championship victory, the inaugural year of the then-NEW 6. We ran from the field house to the pool and dove in, uniforms and all, to perform a spontaneous water ballet routine! Wish I had pictures of that… But above all, this honor helped me remember how much fun I had being a part of a group of women with a shared vision, passion, and determination to do their best. I am so proud I will always be a member of the Wellesley Blue.