Jeff Dow’s 2007-08 basketball season ended on the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

A new phase of his coaching career began there Wednesday.

After winning a pair of league championships in three years and guiding the Anderson University Lady Trojans to a 79-17 record and 39-2 mark at the Abney Center, Jeff Dow has officially taken the reigns of the Crimson Hawks’ program.

Dow, who boasts a 112-66 record at both the Division I and Division II levels, replaces Cindy Martin, who resigned to assume the women’s basketball post at Youngstown State.

“This was a difficult decision to leave Anderson University,” Dow said. “I was fortunate to have had a very supportive upper administration led by president (Evans) Whitaker and two outstanding athletics directors, and friends, in Bobby Beville and Nancy Simpson.

“But without question the hardest part about severing ties with Anderson will be that I’ll no longer have the opportunity to coach this group of players and be around them on a daily basis.”

Dow coached three All-Americans while in the Electric City — LaShonda Chiles, Deidra Langston and Nikki Anthony — while Langston and Anthony also garnered league Player of the Year honors.

Dow was named Conference Carolina Coach of the Year, leading the Lady Trojans to a 28-4 overall mark and regular season league title. Anderson reeled off 20 consecutive victories during the course of the year.

Anderson finished the 2007-08 season ranked No. 12 in the final Division II poll. The Lady Trojans’ campaign ended with a loss to California-Pennsylvania in the East Regionals hosted by IUP.

“I’m saddened that Jeff will be leaving Anderson University, but tremendously happy for him to have this new opportunity,” said Simpson, AU director of athletics. “Jeff has brought a wealth of success to our women’s basketball program, and I will always be grateful to him for that.”

Dow said the deciding factor was growth at IUP. The school features a $44 million athletic complex and a new basketball arena will open in 2011.

“From a recruiting standpoint you have to look at facilities, and this is a school on the rise,” Dow said. “It’s also a different deal in that it’s a state-supported school, so I’ll be able to have two assistant coaches and a graduate assistant.”

IUP competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the Crimson Hawks finished 27-5 last season.

“Everybody’s coming back, so I’m inheriting a good situation,” Dow said. “I’ve already met with all the seniors and I’m impressed at how fundamentally sound the team was (last year). But it was hard to meet with our kids here, the incoming players and the players Anderson has coming back next season, and tell them about my decision.”

Cobb Oxford, assistant director of athletics and sports information director, said the opening at AU will likely be posted Thursday.

“I’m guessing we’ll be taking applications until the end of next week,” Oxford said. “You want to make the right hire, especially when you’re replacing a coach as good as Jeff. But at the same time it’s a tough time to lose a coach, so we’ll have to work quickly.

“But I’m excited for Jeff. He did a great job here.”