After graduating from Oil City High School in the mid-1970s, Jodi Gault was looking for a good basketball school, so naturally she thought of Slippery Rock.

"I had a choice of Pitt and Duquesne, but at the time Slippery Rock had the best program. ... That was before the divisions, when we'd beat Penn State by 20 points and Pitt by 20 points.

"Slippery Rock is where I pretty much wanted to go for physical education. It was a pretty good fit," she added.

Gault made the most of her time before landing the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown women's basketball coaching job at the age of 24.

Twenty-five years later, Gault is still going strong for the Cats, notching her 500th career win last November, an 81-71 triumph over Tiffin (Ohio).

"I never did feel I'd stay at one spot, but they've been good to me here," said Gault. "It's a great situation."

Gault graduated from Slippery Rock in 1979, leaving at the time as the fourth-leading scorer with 978 points.

She then played a season in the short-lived Women's Basketball League for the Washington Metros and the California Dreams.

After working in the area a short time, she went to Ohio University, where she was a graduate assistant and earned her master's degree in athletic administration.

In 1982 Gault accepted the head coaching position at Pitt-Johnstown.

"It's a campus of 3,200, a very attractive campus that could attract some very good athletes," said Gault, who was inducted into the SRU Hall of Fame in 1989.

"I was able to recruit kids and, academically, we were able to bring a lot in. It's all changing now, and it's much more difficult. Lower Division I teams are taking the players we used to get,"Gault added.

Still, Gault has an amazing track record that cannot be matched by many.

In her 24 years, she has a 519-148 record, a .778 winning percentage that is ranked eighth-best among active women's basketball coaches. She's also ranked seventh in victories.

A losing record? What's that? Gault has never experienced one at Pitt-Johnstown. A 15-12 record was the worst the team has done during her tenure.

Her teams have made 14 NCAA tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 1987 and the East Regional semifinals in 2001.

"The fact we've reached the NCAA tournament 14 times, that's huge," said Gault. "Success is something we take pride in."

She's won five East Regional titles and back-to-back Mideast Conference titles in 1990 and 1991.

Gault also coached the 1992 National Player of the Year in Mindy Young, nine Kodak all-Americans and 18 of UPJ's 21 all-Americans.

She also has earned a bevy of regional awards and was named the American Women's Sports Federation's Coach of the Year for the 1986-87 season.

Her assistant coach of the past 17 seasons is another SRU graduate, Deb Yesenosky (Class of 1978).

The success they have brought to Johnstown is hard to follow, particularly the past few seasons.

Losing can always be just around the corner, and Gault understands that.

"Every year, that's the big challenge," said Gault. "This year could be that year. This year, we're in the West Virginia Conference, so now there are no full-time assistants.

"It's hard to be successful. These are the crossroads our university has to face," she added.

This is one in a series of articles on Slippery Rock University graduates who have moved on to athletic careers elsewhere.