Neil Walker qualified first for finals with a 48.55; at the 50 Walker was .38 ahead of world record pace with a blistering 22.95. Matt Biondi is the only America to go faster than Walker; Walker's time is only .13 off Biondi's 12-year-old American record.

Walker, 24 and representing Texas, was followed by Gary Hall Jr., the silver medalist in this event at the last Olympics, with a 48.92. Next was Josh Davis, the 200 free champion at this meet, in 49.20. Fourth qualifier was Anthony Ervin, 19 and Hall's teammate at Phoenix Swim Club, in 49.37. Scott Tucker qualified fifth in 49.39, Jason Lezak was sixth in 49.64, Jamie Rauch was seventh in 49.95 and Sabir Muhammad was eighth in 49.96. The top six finishers in this event qualify for the Olympic 400 free relay team.

Women's 200 Free Final

Lindsay Benko, 23 and representing Trojan, won the 200 free with a 2:00.45, followed by Rada Owen, 21 and swimming for Auburn, in 2:00.54. Samantha Arsenault, the top qualifier, blasted out under world record pace the first 50 (26.97), a full .68 ahead of the field. She was still only .01 off record pace at the 100, but by the 150 Benko had pulled even and Arsenault faded to third at the end (2:00.79).

Men's 200 Fly Final

World record-holder Tom Malchow won the 200 fly in 1:56.87, tiring the second half of the race after making a run at his own 1:55.18 world record, set this summer. Malchow, 23 and swimming for Wolverine, was .55 under world record pace at the 50 and .48 under at the 100.

While 1996 200 fly Olympic silver medalist Malchow's win was no surprise, the star of the race was Michael Phelps, who surged on the last 50 to pass several swimmers and move into second at the touch, beating out Auburn's Jeff Somensatto 1:57.48 to 1:58.07. At 15, Phelps is the youngest man to make the team since 1932. He represents North Baltimore.

Women's 200 IM Final

Cristina Teuscher won the 200 IM in 2:13.36, followed by Gabrielle Rose in 2:14.95. Rose, 22 and representing Novaquatics, represented Brazil in the 1996 Olympics but elected to try for the U.S. team this year.

Teuscher, whose family is from Argentina, won a gold on the 800 free relay in the 1996 Olympics, where she swam the fastest split in U.S. history, but she scratched the semifinals of the 200 free at this meet to concentrate on the 200 IM. She is 22 and represents Badger.

Rose was first after the fly leg in 28.31, then Teuscher moved into first on the back. Natalie Coughlin pulled into second at the 100 mark, with Maggie Bowen also challenging. Rose finished fast on the free leg to seize the Olympic berth, touching out Bowen (2:15.10).

Men's 200 Breaststroke Semifinal

Ed Moses set an Olympic Trials record in qualifying first for the 200 breast final. His 2:13.13 broke the 1992 mark of 2:13.50, set by Roque Santos, who like Moses represented Curl-Burke. As in prelims, Moses glided by on only 14 powerful strokes per lap.

Kyle Salyards qualified second in 2:13.62, Brendan Hansen, who gave Moses a run for his money in the first semifinal heat, qualified third in 2:13.94.

Tom Wilkens qualified fourth in 2:14.57, giving him a chance to redeem his disappointing third place 400 IM swim. Jeff Hopwood and Jeff Hackler tied for fifth in 2:17.15, Scott Werner was seventh in 2:17.17 and Sean Quinn was eighth in 2:17.18.

Women's 200 Fly Semifinal

Misty Hyman, 21 and swimming for Stanford, qualified first for the 200 fly final in 2:11.16, slower than her impressive 2:09.92 prelim time. 400 IM champion Kaitlin Sandeno rode a strong last 100 to challenge Hyman at the finish, qualifying second in 2:11.24. Shelly Ripple qualified third in 2:12.95, Emily Mason fourth in 2:12.96, Melissa Greene fifth in 2:13.14, Kristine Quance-Julian sixth in 2:13.92, Maddy Crippen seventh in 2:14.18 and Molly Freedman eighth in 2:14.25.

Kari Lydersen, a contributing editor to Swimming World, writes for The Washington Post.