In the first event of the day, Patton and Tobias Work (Falmouth, Mass.) claimed the top two spots in the 400m free. Work earned silver in 3:50.62 while Brazil’s Armando Negreiros won bronze in 3:51.18.

Hersey, who won the 400m IM gold Tuesday, added another victory by winning the 100m fly with a Pan Am Games record of 59.21. Team USA’s Samantha Woodward (Edmond, Okla.) who led at the first 50m, finished second in 59.98 and Brazil’s Gabriella Silva was third in 1:00.59.

Olympians Mark Gangloff (Akron, Ohio) and Gabe Woodward (Bakersfield, Calif.) had strong swims Wednesday, winning medals in both their respective events. Gangloff, who set a Pan American Games record in the 100m breast during Tuesday’s semifinals, was out touched in the final by Canada’s Scott Dickens. Dickens won gold in 1:01:20 and Gangloff claimed silver in 1:01.24. Canadian Mathieu Bois finished third to win bronze in 1:01.83. Woodward earned bronze in the men’s 100m free with a time of 49.59. Brazil’s Cesar Cielo Filho won gold and set a new Pan Am Games record in 48.79, while Argentina’s Jose Martin Meolans won silver in 49.42.

“I think my semifinal swim yesterday solidified that I can swim at World Championships and the Olympics,” Gangloff said. “It was the third fastest time of the year. If I would have swam that at Worlds I would have won a bronze medal.”

Rodriquez (Aurora, Colo.) led off the gold-medal winning 800m free relay team that also included Emily Kukors (Auburn, Wash.), Ava Ohlgren (Northville, Mich.), and Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio). The team swam a new Pan Am record of 8:02.03. Rodriquez also won gold in the 400m free Tuesday.

“This is a great meet to get an out of country experience,” Carroll said. “It’s a great way to see how the rest of the world is preparing for Beijing.”

Several other U.S. swimmers also swam in Wednesday's finals. Dale Rogers (Austin, Texas) finished sixth in the 100m free in 50.11 and Christian Schurr (Austin, Texas) was sixth in the 100m breast in 1:03.12. Olympian Maritza Correia (Valrico, Fla.) and Samantha Woodward were fifth and sixth in the 50m free in 25.63 and 25.79, respectively. In the men’s 100m fly, Ricky Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) swam a personal best to finish fifth in 52.98 and Pat O'Neil (Roseburg, Ore.) was eighth in 53.49.

In semifinal action, Scott Clary (Riverside, Calif.) set a Pan Am Games record and a personal best 1:58.78 to qualify in the top spot for the 200m back finals. Ian Clark (Malvern, Pa.) qualified fourth at 2:00.61, also a personal best. In the 100m back semis, Julia Smit (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) claimed the third spot in 1:02.67 and Brielle White (Philadelphia) qualified fourth in 1:03.10. Elizabeth Tinnon (Bowling Green, Ky.) and Michelle McKeehan (Franklin, Ind.) qualified for the finals in third and fourth in the women’s 100m breast, swimming 1:09.99 and 1:10.34, respectively.

Competition continues with preliminary races Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. local time. Finals and semifinals will be continue Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time where medals will be awarded in the women’s 100m back, 100m breast, and 400m free relay, and the men’s 200m back.

About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.