RADFORD – When the Radford swimming & diving team emerges from their Dedmon Center locker room to the upstairs natatorium, the Highlanders put on a mini-production.

Moments before they emerge, the cheers and screams from the bottom of the stairwell grow louder and louder. Then, as the Highlanders come running out, class-by-class, they form a high-five line that eventually reaches from one end of the pool, to the other, and ends in a huddled mass of shouting and dancing black warm-up suits.

It's a short surge of electricity from the 21 members of the team, and because they're at home, the Highlanders get to be as loud and excited as they want.

The pre-meet ritual is one of the advantages of competing at home, something that the Highlanders didn't get to do last year, with renovations to the Dedmon Center ongoing during the season.

“We want it to be a big intro, get the girls fired up, and get the momentum rolling in our direction right away,” head coach Randy Jarman says.  

Radford gets to put on this show, one that Jarman says is a hybrid of several NBA entrances, six times at home this season.  It's one of the things the Highlanders get to do to set the tempo and get comfortable before they hit the pool.

“Being at home, the familiarity of the surroundings, the support, those are things that put our team at ease,” Jarman says.

At the same time, Jarman wants to test his young group at home this year.  Following last Friday's home opener against the College of Charleston, the Highlanders hit the Dedmon Center pool early this year against JMU (Oct. 31, Noon) and a dual with Marshall and Campbell (Nov. 14, 2 p.m.).  Radford also hosts North Carolina A&T to close out the season on Jan. 21.

 “We do have a tough schedule,” he says.  “When you bring fast teams in like these, you'd better be ready to swim.”

Charleston, Campbell, and North Carolina A&T are all conference foes for the Highlanders in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA).  

One event circled on Jarman's calendar this year is the Highlander Invitational, a three-day meet (Nov. 19-21) featuring Radford, Campbell, North Carolina A&T, Millersville (Pa.) and Mount St. Mary's.

“It's definitely the highlight of our home schedule, and it should be a pretty competitive invitational from top to bottom.  All of the teams are comparable in terms of talent and depth, and it should prove to be an exciting invitational.”

And Radford's early-season matchup with the College of Charleston last weekend gives Jarman some perspective on where the Highlanders are, moving forward.

“We need to work on not swimming nervous, but instead swimming excited.  In practice, we've got some standout performances, and we've got to be able to duplicate these performances in practice.

“The excitement is supposed to elevate you.  If we can capitalize on that, we'll turn a corner.”

Performances like this will come in time, Jarman says, and that setting the emotional tone will be senior captains Mandy Smith (Free, Back) and Erica Kappert (Fly, Back).

“Both of these young ladies bring distinct characteristics to the table and we're excited about the way they lead by example, and take care of business in the pool.”

The different ways that Smith and Kappert lead is what Jarman likes the most.

“Mandy is the 'mother hen' that keeps these girls rallied together and makes sure that everyone feels like a part of the team.  And Erica is a real workhorse and a walking study in time-management.”

In addition to the leadership of Smith and Kappert, Jarman's Highlanders are relying on a couple of new faces, freshmen Emily Turner (Free, Back) and Colleen Miller (Back, Free), to set the tone for this season and beyond.  

“When you lean heavily on freshmen, it's a concern sometimes,” Jarman says, “but these two have really stepped up to the pressure and thrive on it.”

Jarman likes Turner's versatility and work ethic, two keys that he's trying to build his program around.

“There's no weaknesses in what she does, and we're going to utilize her more in individual swims.”

Miller brings athleticism and desire to this year's group, in addition to her skills.

“She too has a lot of versatility, and brings a lot of things to the table for us,” Jarman says.

One contributor that wants to make a splash again is sophomore diver Katie Shaffer, who virtually re-wrote the school's record books on a weekly basis in the one-and three-meter events as a freshman.

“Her performance last year is a testament not only to Katie's work ethic,” Jarman says, “but to her desire to leave a legacy here at Radford.”

To help Jarman push Shaffer and others to the next level, he bolstered his coaching staff in the off-season by adding two assistant coaches: Kevin Schwenk (diving) and Krista Carlson (swimming).

“Having a staff is making a huge difference this year,” Jarman says.

Under Schwenk, a Radford graduate student with an extensive gymnastics background, Shaffer broke her one-meter mark by 11 points (202.64) in the season opener against Charleston.  

“Kevin's enthusiasm is contagious,” Jarman says.  “He's winning the trust of his divers and pushing them, and you can see Katie's responding well to that.”

Carlson, in her first year following a standout collegiate career at St. Bonaventure, has been a boost both in and out of the pool for Jarman.

“She came in and fit our system like a glove,” he says.  “Her energy, her knowledge of how fast other teams are, and her abilities to put together workouts are great for us.”

The combination of versatility and basics, new and old, experienced and inexperienced, and performance and coaching is a formula that Jarman wants to continue to build his program around.

“You're always competing against your best,” he says.  “We've gotta stay focused on the basics and if we focus on improving every single meet, I think we can represent the university with pride.”

And for those first meets, the Highlanders don't have to go very far to represent themselves as a program.

Radford continues its homestand tonight, hosting Randolph-Macon at 6 p.m.

By Patrick Reed, Assistant Dir. of Athletic Communications