SHAWNEE – As the St. Gregory's University swimming and diving teams embark on the school's first-ever meet, head coach Lyndsay Watts has made one message clear to her athletes: "Have fun and swim hard!"

Watts, the coach of both the women's and men's teams, has kept an eye on October 4 for quite some time. The Cavaliers open 2014-15 – and kick off the program's inaugural season of competition – with a dual meet at Tabor College. The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Osawatomie, Kansas.

Swimming and diving was added by the university – along with men's lacrosse – last November to bring St. Gregory's total offering of athletics programs to 17. St. Gregory's joins Oklahoma Baptist as the only varsity collegiate swim teams in Oklahoma. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), of which SGU is a member, has sponsored swimming since the 1950s.

"The team is thrilled to embark on this adventure, and I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to help lead them," said Watts, an elite swimmer in her own right.

A native of Riverside, Calif., Watts is a four-time Senior National Meet qualifier and an Olympic Team Trial qualifier. She also was a 15-time All-American, a six-time individual national champion and was named the NAIA Co-Swimmer of the Year in 2002 and 2003 at her alma mater, California Baptist.

Watts said more than anything, starting a new program has given her teams a unique opportunity.

"If the lives of these young men and women are affected for good, I'll know that our institution is leaving its mark on the future," Watts said. "As the head coach, my goal for each of these student-athletes is for them to be successful, hard-working, independent adults with good character.

"For me personally, I want each swimmer/diver to complete their educational goals at St. Gregory's University as a person that values respect, selflessness, giving of themselves to others through charity work, and knows that with all they do, they need to give their all."

The Cavs begin the season with 11 athletes on the men's roster and three on the women's side. Of those 14, 10 are freshmen and four are sophomores.

"Our biggest weakness is also our biggest strength," Watts said. "We are lacking, more than a lot of other programs, in the area of experience.  All that means for us is that we haven't even begun to wrap our heads around the things that we are going to be able to accomplish this year and over these next four years."

Mark Roselius, one of those freshmen, said he hopes the bond the teams have formed in training will help them overcome some of the inexperience.

"I'm excited for this season because a lot of times new teams don't bond as much as our team has," said Roselius, a Shawnee native. "The comradery we have will help us be successful throughout the year. It's a wonderful challenge every day at practice because we get to race each other and strive to make one another faster."

St. Gregory's has 12 events on its inaugural schedule, culminating in the NAIA National Meet March 4-7 in Oklahoma City. Although the road to the national meet may be winding at times, Watts said this unique experience makes it well worth the trip for her and her teams.

"It's a learning process for us all and we're having a blast navigating the adventure together," she said. "I hope my athletes enjoy giving back to the swimming community and being an example of what we're about here at St. Gregory's University."