KEARNS, Utah -- Joey Cheek made a strong bid Tuesday for the U.S. Olympic Team as he recorded an American record and two personal bests during the opening day of the U.S. Speedskating Team's long-track Olympic Trials.

The North Carolina skater shaved eight-hundredths of a second from the American 1,000-meter record, and 56-hundredths of a second from his previous best at the distance, making two-and-a-half laps of the Utah Olympic Oval in 1 minute, 7.98 seconds.

Casey FitzRandolph, who set the previous American mark of 1:08.06 on the same ice on Dec. 1, is not skating in the trials. He already has earned Olympic berths in both the 500 and 1,000 meters courtesy of his World Cup performances earlier this season.

Earlier Tuesday, Cheek cut his personal best in the 500-meter race by .25 seconds, to 34.73 seconds, in winning that race.

On the women's side, Jennifer Rodriguez won the 500 meters in 38.20 seconds, followed by Chris Witty (38.41) and Becky Sundstrom (38.90). The 1,000-meter race was won by Witty in 1:16.18 with Sundstrom second in 1:17.09 and Amy Sannes third in 1:17.43.

Under the trials' format, skaters vying for the men's team compete twice at 500 meters and 1,000 meters and once at 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters this week.

Those seeking berths on the women's team skate twice at 500 and 1,000 meters and once at 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. The racers' combined times from the twice-skated races and the finish in the once-skated distances determine the Olympic Team.

The U.S. Speedskating Team has 10 slots in the 2002 Salt Lake Games available for both women and men. Skaters who earned berths prior to the trials based on World Cup performances earlier this season were Fitz Randolph, Derek Parra in the men's 1,500, Witty in the women's 1,000 meters, and Rodriguez in the women's 1,000- and 1,500-meter races.

Cheek, who grew up in Greensboro, N.C., but resides in Park City, Utah, said his performances put him ahead of where he wanted to be.

"The 1,000 was a great race. It was incredible. I never felt that good in my life," he said.

While he still has another 500-meter race and another 1,000-meter race to skate later this week as the trials run through Saturday, Cheek's performances have virtually assured him a spot on the U.S. Team.

Behind Cheek in the 500-meter race Tuesday was Kip Carpenter, of Brookfield, Wis., in 35.02 and Marc Pelchat, of Nashua, N.H., in 35.24. Carpenter also was second in the 1,000-meter race, in 1:08.52, while Parra was third in 1:08.99.