Hokie ClubKNOXVILLE, Tenn. - One Virginia Tech diver and one former H2Okie diver finished in the top 20 at the USA Diving National Championships over the weekend.
Former H2Okie and seven-time All-American Ryan Hawkins finished third in the 3-meter synchronized event with Jakob Kolod after posting a score of 388.29. In the platform event, he finished sixth with a score of 414.40. He also competed in the 3-meter dive but only reached the semifinals, where he placed 15th.
Senior Kelli Stockton, an All-American who holds the Tech record for the platform, earned a 12th place finish in the same event after scoring 247.50. She also reached the semifinal in the 3-meter, where she finished 17th.
Sophomore Ashley Buchter also competed in the platform event, reaching the semifinal, where she placed 17th. Buchter and Stockton teamed up for the 3-meter synchronized event and reached the quarters, where they finished 13th.
Senior Kaylea Arnett, who took the bronze medal at NCAAs last season in the 1-meter event, reached the quarterfinals of that event, where she finished 20th. In the 3-meter event, she also reached the quarterfinals and placed 22nd.
The national diving event, which ran from Tuesday until Sunday, hosted around 125 of the nation’s best divers and awarded 10 national championships. Divers qualified for the competition according to performance in various competitions and preliminary meets.
This year’s championships took place in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
The H2Okies begin their season this fall with the Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving Challenge on Oct. 18 as they host the Penn State and Old Dominion men and the Liberty and JMU women.