INDIANAPOLIS -- Ed Moses tried to tune out the cheering crowd. When he couldn't, he lost a chance to set a U.S. record.

The performance was still good enough to earn Moses a victory in the 200-meter breaststroke Wednesday at the U.S. National Spring Swimming Championships. The Olympian finished in 2 minutes, 11.22 seconds, just missing the American record of 2:10.16.

He was on pace to break the record entering the last 50 meters, and the noisy crowd in the Indiana University Natatorium rose to its feet to cheer him to the finish. But the applause distracted him.

"I haven't raced in six months, so I wasn't used to the people around me and all the noise,'' he said. "Usually, I just tune it out. It took me out of my game. But it was fun. I walked away smiling from something that hurt so bad.''

Moses said he and his teammates are looking forward to Sunday's dual swim meet against Australia.

"We'll be ready,'' he said. "Come Sunday, I'll do it again. I don't care if it hurts again.''

Moses, who goes by Ed even though he enters his events as Glenn, won his race by nearly three seconds over Tom Wilkens.

"Every time there's an important meet, everybody expects a record from me,'' said Moses, who holds the U.S. Open and Long Course Nationals marks, both at 2:10.40. "That's a standard that's really high, but it's my job. I'm always in the mix.''

Wednesday's other finals were more closely contested.

Rhiannon Jeffrey won the women's 100-meter freestyle, finishing in 55.21 seconds. Fast-closing runner-up Lindsay Benko came in at 55.37.

Scott Tucker finished the men's 100 freestyle in 49.43, with Neil Walker second at 49.49.

Agnes Kovacs was just ahead of Kristy Kowal in the women's 200 breaststroke, finishing in 2:29.48, compared with Kowal's 2:29.69. And Georgina Lee took the women's 200 butterfly in 2:09.48 -- 0.14 seconds ahead of Kaitlin Sandeno.

Wednesday's other winners were Michael Phelps, who took the men's 200 backstroke in 1:57.04; Jennifer Fratesi, who won the 200 backstroke in 2:12.53; and Takashi Yamamoto, who won the men's 200 butterfly in 1:58.18.