California University of Pennsylvania has been making a name for itself the past seven months in the world of NCAA Division II athletics.

But athletic director Tom Pucci would like to tweak that name just a bit.

"We don't want people to have to say we're California University of Pennsylvania," Pucci said. "We want to be known as the California University of Division II. Athletics is getting our name out nationally, so we want to have a name that is recognized nationally."

Thanks to the success of the university's teams during the 2007-08 academic year, Pucci said student applications and fundraising have increased significantly.

"People want to be associated with a winner," he said. "The goal of every coach at California is to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. That means our goals are to compete at a national level, too."

The two most recent success stories at California are in basketball, with the men's and women's teams participating in the Elite Eight with games tomorrow.

The California men (28-5), winners of seven in a row and 19 of their past 20 games, will meet Alaska-Anchorage (28-5) at 2:30 p.m. at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. The Vulcans are making their first trip to the Elite Eight since 1996 and first in 12 seasons under Bill Brown.

The California women (27-6), headed to the Elite Eight for the third time in eight years under Darcie Vincent and first since 2004 when they won the national championship, will play Delta State (32-0) at 7 p.m. at the Health and Sports Center on the campus of University of Nebraska at Kearney.

"It's been important for us to be able to attract quality coaches and keep them at California," Pucci said. "We pay well. We reward people for their accomplishments."

Pucci was asked if other schools have come courting California's coaches. "All the time," he said. "I'm going to fight to keep them here. California's a fun place to work, a fun place to be."

The women's basketball team won the school's most recent national championship, following the women's softball team that won titles in 1997 and 1998.

California's most successful year in athletics started in the fall with the football team going 13-1 with a 28-24 defeat against Valdosta State in the semifinals in the school's first appearance in the national playoffs. California, which has risen to dizzying heights in John Luckhardt's six years as head coach, was ranked fourth in the country in the final poll.

The women's tennis team also had an outstanding season in the fall with Helena Van Eysendeyk finishing fourth in singles and teaming with Lisa Santoro for seventh place in doubles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national championship tournament.

The women's volleyball team, which set a school record for matches won in a season with a 35-4 record that included a school-record 34-match win streak, reached the Elite Eight under coach Melissa Myers. The team won its first PSAC West regular-season title since 1992.

California's ice hockey team recently won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III national club championship, led by player of the year B.J. DePaoli, a forward who graduated from California High School.

"I think this is the school's best year ever," said Pucci, who has been athletic director since 1991. "The president [Angelo Armenti] has been very supportive of all our programs and has given us resources and given the athletes the very best."

California hired strength and weight coaches Brian Oddi and Bob Sepesie last season.

"They utilize all the up-to-date techniques and give us a weight training program as good as anybody else in the country," Pucci said. "This gives us an added edge and already has paid tremendous dividends. I hope we can sustain this for many years to come."