Paula Habel spent four stellar seasons as a member of the Bridgewater State women’s lacrosse team and three on the Bears’ women’s basketball team from 2000 to 2003.  She was a four-time New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) First Team All-Star (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003), two-time NEWLA Offensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003), two-time ECAC Division III New England Second Team All-Star (2002, 2003) and was selected to play in the 2003 STX Division III North-South Senior All-Star Game. Habel, who captained the BSU women’s lacrosse team from 2001 to 2003, currently ranks second all-time at BSU in assists, third in scoring and sixth in goals (184).  She also ranks 15th all-time in Division III with 152 assists.  Habel helped lead the Bears to a NEWLA Tournament Championship and NCAA Division III Tournament bid during her senior season of 2003. On the hardwood, Paula tallied 152 points, 137 rebounds, 39 assists, 18 steals and eight blocked shots in 62 career games.  She was also a team captain her junior and senior seasons.

Paula served as the Bears’ head women’s lacrosse coach in 2012 and guided the team to a NEWLA Championship and an NCAA Division III Tournament berth. She was previously the head coach at Plymouth State University (2005, 2006), Allegheny College (2008, 2009) and Emerson College (2010).  Habel also spent time with the lacrosse program at Division I Ohio University before that program was eliminated by the University. A resident and native of Hingham, Massachusetts, Paula earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Bridgewater State in 2003 as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Athletic Administration from Plymouth State University in 2009.