Yuen Kobayashi set a meet record and clocked an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the first day of the 2007 USA Swimming Speedo Champions Series at the University Aquatic Center. The event started today and runs through Saturday.

Kobayashi broke her own record with a time of 8:46.90. She shaved nearly six seconds off her previous meet record of 8:52.07. Christine Jennings placed second in the event with a national qualifying time of 8:53.25 and incoming freshman Courtney Veerman added a seventh-place finish in 9:07.73. Kait Strickland followed in a time of 9:12.30 for ninth overall.

Erin Holtmeyer earned a top-eight finish out of 87 competitors in the 100-meter freestyle when she clocked a time of 59.16. Stacy Busack and Jennings competed in the consolation final. Busack won the B Final in a Junior National time 58.19, while Jennings placed 15th overall in 59.05.

Katie Budahl placed sixth overall in the 100 breaststroke. Kim Kazika competed in the B Final and finished 10th with a time 2:42.67, while Andrea Hanson placed 20th overall and fourth in the C Final. Incoming freshmen Molly Belk and Veerman each competed in the championship final of the 200 fly. Belk clocked a Junior National time of 2:17.47 for third-place overall. Veerman added a fifth-place showing with a Junior National time of 2:20.44.

Events contested tomorrow will include the 200 free, the 400 individual medley, the 100 back and the 400 free relay.