Jorgensen, Brown Win in 800 Meters

Dan Jorgensen and Kim Brown, both of Mission Viejo, were the winners in the 800-meter freestyle races on the first night of competition in the Phillips 66/U.S. Swimming Long Course National Championships at the Mission Viejo Swim Complex.

This meet, which will continue through Friday, will determine U.S. teams that will compete in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo Aug. 15-18 and in the World University Games in Kobe, Japan, Aug. 25-30.

Some swimmers will make both teams. To swim in the University Games, a swimmer must be enrolled in a college.

Because the 800 is not an Olympic event, it will not be included in the Pan Pacific competition. So Jorgensen and Brown will have to qualify in another event to make the team.

Brown’s time of 8:34.94 in the women’s race was the second-fastest in the world this year.

Jorgensen’s time of 7:58.71, the fastest in the world this year, just missed the American record of 7:58.24.

Second to Jorgensen was Mike O’Brien, also of Mission Viejo. But the two did not meet in head-to-head competition. O’Brien recorded his time in the next-to-last heat, putting the pressure on Jorgensen to beat the time with no one in the pool to push him.