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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Junior Kaylea Arnett of the Virginia Tech diving team paired with Deirdre Freeman to capture the national title in the women’s synchronized 3-meter event Saturday at the AT&T National Diving Championships.

The duo captured their first-ever national title together, earning 286.35 points to triumph over Karlee Price and Carolyn Chaney of Florida, who finished second with 262.56 points.

“I’m very proud of Kaylea’s performance this weekend,” Head Diving Coach Ron Piemonte said. “For her to bring home a national championship is fantastic for both her and Virginia Tech.”

In addition to her championship in the synchronized event, Arnett took fifth place in the 10-meter platform and ninth place in the 3-meter springboard over the weekend.

Senior Ryan Hawkins, who was battling an injury, and junior Kelli Stockton also competed at the AT&T National Championships, reaching the semifinals of their respective events.

“Everybody competed very well this weekend,” Piemonte said. “We got unlucky with a couple things, but I was very happy with the way everyone battled. These big events are great for our team and do a great job of getting us ready for our season.”

Tech kicks off its swimming and diving season with an intra-squad meet at 3 p.m., on Friday, September 20 at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_SwimDive).