Aug. 20, 2012

STANFORD, Calif.- Stanford will be featured prominently in the Pac-12 Network's field hockey season preview show, scheduled to air Thursday, Aug. 23, at 5:30 p.m. PT.

The 30-minute preview show, which also spotlights conference rival California, gives fans an inside look at the Bay Area programs. Stanford opens its season on Friday, Aug. 24, against La Salle.

The show includes a team and personnel breakdown from Pac-12 analysts, followed by interviews with Becky Dru, Hope Burke, Emily Henriksson and head coach Tara Danielson. A segment titled "field hockey is life", hosted by Kelsey Harbin and Alex McCawley, provides the viewer with a unique look at the typical day of a Stanford field hockey player.

Stanford and California are the only Pac-12 schools to sponsor field hockey. Formed in 1982, the NorPac has transitioned from an initial California membership to the current east and west blend. Original members Stanford, California and Pacific were joined by Appalachian State and Davidson in 2000. Radford accepted an invitation to the league in 2001. Added in 2005, Longwood became eligible for its first conference tournament in 2007 and hosted the 2008 championship. The NorPac added its eighth league member in 2008, welcoming UC Davis and the Aggies completed their first season in 2009. Last fall, the NorPac expanded once again with the addition of Liberty.

Four of Stanford's 18 regular-season games will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks, which launched last Wednesday. Highlighting the appearances is Sunday's matchup against two-time defending NCAA champion Maryland, representing Stanford's first televised field hockey game from the Varsity Turf. Stanford makes its second network appearance on Sept. 7, welcoming Iowa to The Farm. In addition, both regular-season meetings against rival California will be televised (Sept. 28 at Berkeley, Oct. 23 vs. Stanford).