CALIFORNIA — For the second time in a week, California University of Pennsylvania is losing a key member of its athletic administration.

Dr. Tom Pucci, who has bee the athletic director at Cal U for 19 years, is retiring at the end of the current semester. The current semester ends Friday.

During his time with the university, Cal U experienced unprecedented success in its athletics programs.

Last season, the university finished second in the national ranking of the Director's Cup, which was Cal's best finish ever in a season. Cal became the first PSAC university to post three consecutive top 10 finishes in the Director's Cup, which ranks schools by their overall teams' sports records.

Since Pucci became the athletic director in 1991, Cal U has become a powerhouse in the PSAC and on a national level.

During Pucci's tenure, the Vulcans have won NCAA Division II National Championships with back-to-back softball titles in 1997 and 1998 and women's basketball in 2003-04. Within the PSAC over the last 19 years, the Vulcans have won 58 PSAC West crowns, 32 PSAC titles and made 66 appearances in NCAA Tournaments under Pucci.

Pucci's retirement comes one week after women's head basketball coach Mark Swasey abruptly left six games into the season. He was replaced by his top assistant, Jess Strom.

Christine Kindl, the university's director of communications and public relations, said that university officials had been aware for some time that Pucci was retiring. She added that it was not unusual for an athletic director to leave during the school year.

"We just finished a successful fall season and, in an academic year, this makes perfect sense," she said.

Kindl said that Pucci was not asked to step down and decided to leave on his own.

Pucci and his wife, Debbie, reside in Beaufort, S.C.

He is currently not on campus and was unavailable for comment for this story.

Pucci will be replaced by Dr. Karen Hjerpe, Cal's associate athletic director. She is also the university's senior woman administrator.

Hjerpe has been with the university for 18 years, including the last eight as the associate A.D.

Kindl said that Hjerpe will wear the tag "interim athletic director" for a while, but that she is expected to keep the job on a fulltime basis.

"I'm not aware of any type of search (for a new athletic director,)" Kindl said. "I believe she will be holding that position."

Hjerpe originally came to Cal in 1993 as the women's volleyball coach and held that position for five seasons before becoming the university's athletic business manager.

She is one of only two volleyball coaches in Cal U history to have won over 100 games.

A 1991 graduate of Gannon, she resides in Venetia.

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