NOW PLAYING: Inside Radford Sports (Sept. 30, 2011)

RADFORD, Va. -- Radford Swimming and Diving, under the direction of head coach Randy Jarman, jumps into the pool for the first time this season when it hosts a season-opening quad meet with JMU, Campbell and Marshall on Saturday. The 2011-12 opener will be held at 2 p.m. in the Dedmon Center Natatorium.

This year's edition of the Highlanders is filled with veterans as 19 members return from the 2010-11 squad, which includes six seniors and three juniors.

“I am excited for the upcoming season,” said Jarman, who enters his fifth season at the helm of the Highlanders. “This could be one of our the top squads put together in my tenure. We have a great deal of depth and versatility across the board.”

The senior class consists of team captains Katie Shaffer (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) and Ashley Maness (Conway, S.C./Carolina Forest), along with Cecilia de La Garza (Blacksburg, Va./Blacksburg), Julia Hoffman (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass), Whitney Friend (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle) and Madison Mantiply (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge).

Joining Maness and Shaffer as team captains is junior Emily Turner (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Technical).

Shaffer (diver), Turner (Free/Back) and sophomore Jessica Frazelle (Back/Free) combined for 62 top-five finishes, while placing in the top three on 49 occasions.

Shaffer owns the program's one and three-meter diving marks and posted five victories in 2010-11. Turner and Frazelle, a native of Lexington, N.C., were consistent point producers, garnering 20 and 16 top-three individual and relay finishes, respectively.

“Even though it's early in the season, the team has gelled and I love the way they are training,” commented Jarman. “The team chemistry in and out of the pool has been tremendous.”

Radford returns to the pool on Saturday, Oct. 15 when it hosts Pfeiffer and VMI during the University's Fall Homecoming. The meet is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.