Virginia’s Roanoke Times notes O’Brien’s departure from W&L to return to her alma mater as lacrosse coach. “Amherst needed a new coach to replace Christine Paradis, who has retired. Paradis led Amherst to the NCAA crown in 2003, when O’Brien—then known by her maiden name of Diamond—was her star goalkeeper.”
The article quotes O’Brien’s explanation that her decision to take the position at Amherst is “a family move”: the College is close to her own hometown and to her husband’s family.
The article also notes her successes in her 15 years of coaching at W&L. These include guiding the women’s lacrosse team to 13 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championships, “as well as to the 2017 NCAA Division III final four,” writes reporter Mark Berman. “O’Brien earned ODAC coach of the year honors last month for the ninth time after steering W&L to its 12th straight ODAC title.”