Liberty Athletics to add field hockey

Liberty University Athletics has announced it is adding a field hockey program, with competition slated to start next fall.

Field hockey will be the school’s 21st NCAA Division I program and the third women’s program that Liberty Athletics has added to its NCAA Division I sponsor list in the past three athletics seasons. (Women’s lacrosse opened up competition during the spring of 2010, while women’s swimming is currently in the midst of its first season of competition). With the addition of field hockey, Liberty Athletics will now sponsor 11 NCAA Division I women’s programs.

Former Richmond assistant Jodi Murphy will be the program’s inaugural head coach.

The team will compete as an independent program in 2011 and is slated to join the NorPac Conference in 2012. Started in 1982, the NorPac’s current field hockey membership consists of: Appalachian State, Davidson, Longwood, Radford, Stanford, California-Berkeley, California-Davis and Pacific.

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