Competition for the NorPac Conference League title began in 1982 when seven
schools battled for the championship. The original members were California
State-Chico, Pacific, San Jose State, Stanford, University of California
Berkeley, University of California Davis, and Washington State.
Three of the original seven teams remain in 2005 as the NorPac Conference
again has seven members. Pacific, Stanford, and University of California
Berkeley, are joined by Appalachian State, Davidson, Radford and Longwood to
make up the current NorPac Conference.
In April 2000, commissioner Carla Konet announced that Appalachian State
University and Davidson College had accepted invitations to join the league
and would begin conference play in Fall 2000.
2001 saw the addition of Radford University to the conference.
Longwood joins the conference in 2005 as a provisional member. The Lancers
will not be eligible to compete in the NorPac or NCAA Tournaments until
2007.
The 2005 NorPac Tournament will be the eighth in the league's history.
University of California, Berkeley will host the Tournament for the first
time. The NorPac Tournament was hosted by Saint Louis University three
times, (1998, 2000 and 2003), Stanford hosted the Tournament in 2000 and
2002, while Appalachian State (2001) and Davidson (2004) have each served as
the host institution once.
Since 1999, the NorPac conference has received an NCAA play-in opportunity.
Over the past six years, NorPac representatives are 5-1 in NCAA play-in
games, including five consecutive victories.
The 2005 NorPac Tournament Champion is in contention to earn an automatic
berth into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of the
conference. An official announcement of automatic berths and conferences
that will compete in the two NCAA play-in games will be made by the NCAA in
the fall of 2005.
Sixteen teams will begin Nov. 12-13 at four regional sites. The following
week on Nov. 18 and 20, the Final Four will be begin.
The growth and development of the NorPac Conference was assisted by a
$150,000 grant from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as well as by a partnership
with and support from the United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA).
To further support the growth of the sport, the league members continue to
host and conduct instructional clinics. Participation in the FUTURES (top
national high school players) and SuperCamp programs (high school and
college ages) has proven beneficial to youths pursuing athletic careers in
field hockey. These clinics and camps are part of the USFHA's development
for future Olympic athletes.
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