Feb. 4, 2004
NEW YORK - CSTV: College Sports Television (www.cstv.com ), the fastest-growing independent cable network, will feature college lacrosse powers such as Princeton, Virginia, Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Maryland as part of its CSTV Lax college lacrosse schedule, the sport's first live nationally televised game of the week series. In addition, CSTV Lax will televise five NCAA Lacrosse Championship games live: Men's Division II and III, and Women's Division I, II and III.
CSTV Lax launches Saturday, March 6, with a men's telecast featuring Princeton at 2003 NCAA finalist Johns Hopkins. College Sports TV will showcase 15 teams that competed in the 2003 NCAA Men's and Women's Division I Lacrosse Championships, including defending champion Virginia, finalist Johns Hopkins and semifinalists Maryland and Syracuse on the men's side and defending women's champion Princeton and semifinalists Virginia and Maryland on the women's side. The CSTV Lax schedule will feature programs that have won 31 of the 33 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championships contested and 14 of the 22 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships contested.
College Sports TV and US Lacrosse, the national governing body of lacrosse in the United States, recently signed a multi-year partnership that will significantly expand coverage of men's and women's college lacrosse via CSTV's nationwide reach. The partnership provides College Sports TV with financial support to produce and broadcast the CSTV Lax package.
The 2004 CSTV Lax Schedule (all times ET):
|
| Sat., March 6 | Princeton at Johns Hopkins (men's) | 1 p.m. |
| Sun., March 14 | Virginia at Princeton (women's) | 2 p.m. |
| Sat., March 20 | Syracuse at Johns Hopkins (men's) | 1 p.m. |
| Sat., March 27 | Navy at Army (men's)
Syracuse at Princeton (men's) | 12 p.m.
3 p.m. |
| Sat., April 3 | Virginia at Maryland (men's) | 1 p.m. |
| Sun., April 4 | Vanderbilt at Johns Hopkins (women's) | 1 p.m. |
| Wed., April 7 | Georgetown at Maryland (women's) | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., April 10 | Rutgers at Princeton (men's)
Yale at Princeton (women's) | 12 p.m.
3 p.m. |
| Sat., April 17 | Maryland at Johns Hopkins (men's)
Dartmouth at Cornell (men's) | 8 p.m.
1 p.m. |
| Fri., April 23 | Penn State at Ohio State (women's) | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., April 24 | Johns Hopkins at Navy (men's) | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., May 8 | Rutgers at Massachusetts (men's) | 1 p.m. |
| Sat., May 15 | NCAA Division II Women's Championship | 12 p.m. |
| Sun., May 16 | NCAA Division III Women's Championship | 1 p.m. |
| Sun., May 23 | NCAA Division I Women's Championship | TBD |
| Sun., May 30 | NCAA Division III Men's Championship
NCAA Division II Men's Championship | 12 p.m.
|
In addition to CSTV Lax, College Sports TV will cover college lacrosse thoroughly within its CSTV Primetime and CSTV Scoreboard live studio shows originating from the CSTV Fieldhouse. College Sports TV will profile a pair of college lacrosse coaching legends -- former Syracuse men's lacrosse coach Roy Simmons Jr. and the late Diane Geppi-Aikens, the former Loyola (Md.) women's lacrosse coach -- within the network's Coach original series that explores the unique bonds that develop between the greatest college coaches and their star pupils.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in America. The number of college varsity lacrosse players has grown by over 37 percent since 1995, and the number of high school students playing lacrosse has increased by more than 100 percent during that same period. The number of college club programs has more than doubled. As part of its partnership with US Lacrosse, CSTV has exclusive rights to produce and broadcast a one-hour highlight show on the 2004 and 2005 US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates National Championships.
"The CSTV Lax schedule represents the finest men's and women's college lacrosse programs, and we are committed to covering the sport not only through CSTV Lax, but via our studio and original programming," said Tim Pernetti, vice president, programming, CSTV. "Participation in the sport has grown tremendously, as people are exposed to the unique combination of intensity, speed, power and athleticism that make lacrosse such an exciting sport."
"We're extremely excited to be in a position to help make these games available to the national lacrosse community," said Steve Stenersen, executive director of US Lacrosse. "Our members have been looking for more lacrosse coverage on television for years and CSTV is making it a reality. We think this will continue to fuel the growth of the game."
