USC's Sandeno, Keller, Jeffrey Make Team,

USC senior-to-be Kaitlin Sandeno qualified for her second race on her second U.S. Olympic Swimming Team while sophomore-to-be teammate Kalyn Keller qualified earned her first ever spot as the duo finished 1-2 in the 400m freestyle on the second day of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Long Beach on Thursday (July 8).

Sandeno, who was second in the 400m IM on Wednesday, swam a personal best 4:08.07 to win her first-ever national title in a freestyle event. Kalyn Keller, meanwhile, joined brother Klete (who won the men's 400m free on Wednesday) on the U.S. team by touching in second place in 4:09.78.

Sandeno swam three events at the 2000 Olympics, but the 400m free wasn't one of them. She swam the 400m IM, 200m fly and the 800m free. Though she may not swim in all of them, she is still entered in four more races in the meet, including Wednesday's 200m IM.

Sandeno's and Keller's finish denied Diana Munz, the silver medallist in the 400m free at the 2000 Olympics, a chance to go for back-to-back medals in the event. Munz finished third while the defending Olympic gold medallist in the event, Brook Bennett, was seventh. In fact, it took Trojan graduate Lindsay Benko's decision to skip the finals of the race (deciding to save her energy for her best event -- the 200m free) to get Munz into the finals (she finished one place out after prelims).

Munz took it out fastest at the start, swimming to first after 100 meters while Sandeno and Keller turned in fifth and sixth, respectively. Sandeno moved into third after 150 and Keller took fourth, but while Sandeno moved into first at the halfway point, Keller was among six swimmer turning virtually together about a second back, officially in seventh.

Sandeno built her lead in the second half of the race while Keller reeled in the third-place Munz. Keller passed Munz after 300 meters and maintained almost a one second lead on her for the rest of the race.

In the 200 meanwhile, USC grad Lindsay Benko and Sandeno finished second and third, respectively, in a drama-packed 200m freestyle final. Benko earned the right to swim the event individually in Athens, Sandeno picking up a spot on the 800m free relay. In keeping with the Trojan theme, incoming freshman Rhi Jeffrey made the team with her 4th place finish.

For Sandeno, the relay is her third event in which she's qualified to swim at the Games in Greece after taking second in the 400m IM and winning the 400m free. She later finished second in the 200 fly, making her, not Michael Phelps, the first swimmer to qualify for the team in four events.