July 21, 2010

STANFORD, Calif.- First-year head coach Tara Danielson has announced the hiring of Patrick Cota and Steve Danielson as assistant coaches with the Stanford field hockey program.

"Patrick and Steve share my philosophy of what it takes to be successful and I am thrilled to have them on board," said Danielson, who was introduced as the sixth head coach in the history of the program last week. "In addition to bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge of the sport that is unmatched, Patrick and Steve are high-character coaches who exemplify the values of Stanford athletics. Patrick is one of the brightest, hard-working minds in the profession and will be critical in identifying and developing talent. Steve's contributions with our national team and playing experience at an elite level will be a tremendous resource with our tactical efforts."

All three members of Stanford's coaching staff possess extensive international playing experience. Tara Danielson was a member of the U.S. Field Hockey National Team, training and competing at the Olympic level from 1998-2006, while Cota and Steve Danielson have also been fixtures on the men's U.S. Field Hockey National Team.

Cota, a current member of the U.S. National Team (1999-2010), has also competed on the U.S. Field Hockey men's junior national team playing with the U-18 and U-21 squads beginning in 1996. Cota played for the German Club, Rot-Weiss Koln, Germany from 2002-03 and for Club UTS in Australia in 2001.

Cota's coaching career includes a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Michigan from 2004-05, where he helped guide the Wolverines to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back Big Ten Tournament championships.

Cota arrives on The Farm after working as an Account Executive at AttachPoint since 2006.

A native of Camarillo, Calif., Cota completed his bachelor's degree in history from UCLA in 2010.

One of the most accomplished USA Men's National Team players in the history of the sport, Danielson has enjoyed a successful international playing career that spans 21 years combined in both outdoor and indoor field hockey. In addition to making solid contributions both offensively and defensively from 1989-2010 as a member of the U.S. National Team, Danielson's international outdoor playing career included representing Team USA at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Danielson was also a member of the U.S. National Indoor Team that competed at the 2003 Indoor World Cup. Danielson played two seasons at Club UTS in Australia (1999, 2001) and also played for Menzieshill in Scotland (2002-03).

Danielson comes to Stanford after serving as the Athletic Director of Quest Athletic Center in Del Mar, Calif., since 2008.

The husband of head coach Tara Danielson and a native of Livermore, Calif., Danielson earned a B.S. in exercise physiology from San Diego State in 1999.

Stanford (17-5, 5-1 NorPac) is coming off its best season in program history in 2009, establishing a school record with 17 victories. The Cardinal captured the NorPac Tournament championship for the third straight season and remained a fixture in the national rankings for more than two months. Stanford won its second NCAA Play-In game in three seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history. Stanford's record-setting season was due in large part to its high-powered offense, as the Cardinal established single-season school records in goals (87), assists (60), points (234) and shots (410).