SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Chris Parrish of Orlando, Fla. established a Pan American Games record to head a dominating first day for the U.S. Water Ski Team during preliminary competition Thursday at Isabela River.

Parrish rewrote the Men’s Slalom mark when he staged an impressive run of 66.5 buoys, surpassing the Pan Am record of 66 set four years ago.

All six American prelim entries qualified for Saturday’s finals, including double winner Regina Jaquess of Suwanee, Ga. The 19-year-old collegiate finished first in both the Women’s Slalom and Women’s Tricks events. Other strong performances were turned in by Karen Truelove of Winter Garden, Fla., second in the Women’s Slalom; Rhoni Barton of Orlando, Fla., third in Women’s Tricks; and Freddy Krueger of Winter Garden, Fla., fifth in the Men’s Slalom.

“We had a great day, really,” said coach Jack Travers. “We are really in good shape. I look for all our people to have even better performances Saturday.”

Even though none of the prelim scores carry over to the finals, getting high seeds is an advantage because the U.S. gets to see its opposition perform first Saturday.

“Historically, we perform better in the finals because we are cautious in the prelims just to be sure we reach the finals,” said team leader Tony Baggiano. “This was a splendid day.”

Parrish easily out-distanced the field in the Men’s Slalom, using his 6-5 frame to stretch pass one buoy after another while his rope continued to shorten on every pass.

“I wasn’t happy with the way I performed last week in the U.S. Open so I just wanted to give it a good go here,” said Parrish, who was making his Pan Am Games debut. “I’ve never run a 39 (reduced rope foot length due to successful passes) under this kind of pressure so this has got to be a big step in my life.”

Had the water ski competition started two days earlier, Parrish might not have even competed. He suffered so much from a stomach ailment that doctors had him on IV treatments as late as Wednesday.

“The key for me was that I was able to be well balanced on the ski,” said Parrish, 24. “It’s crucial here because of the back wash.”

Friday’s prelims continue with Men’s Tricks and Men’s and Women’s Jumps.

Thursday’s preliminary results:

Women’s Slalom – 1, Regina Jaquess, Suwanee, Ga., 56.0. 2, Karen Truelove, Winter Garden, Fla., 54.5. 3, Mariana Ramierez Filsinger, Mexico, 53.0. 4, tie, Maria Luisa Botero Villa, Columbia, and Natalia Hernandez Herrera, Columbia, 48.5. 6, Veronica Vinuales, Argentina, 45.5. 7, Tiare Miranda Arellano, Chile, 45.0. 8, Breanne Wagner, Canada, 44.5. Failed to qualify for finals: Aline Nelson Rueda, Mexico, 43.5; Wedd Karissa, Canada, 41.0; Sylvia Seaton Dunlap, Guatemala, 38.0; Maria De Lorenzo, Brazil, 5.5.

Men’s Slalom – 1, Chris Parrish, Orlando, Fla., 66.5 (Pam Am Games record. Old record, 66.0, Drew Ross, Canada, 1999). 2, Jorge Suarez Diaz, Mexico, 58.0. 3, tie, Javier Julio, Argentina, and Drew Ross, Canada, 57.0. 5, Freddy Krueger, Winter Garden, Fla., 56.25. 6, Fernando Neves, Brazil, 56.0. 7, Rodrigo Miranda Arellano, Chile, 55.5. 8, Nicholas Fuldauer, Brazil, 55.0. Did not qualify for finals: Arturo Nelson Rueda, Mexico, 55.0; Emiliano Botana, Argentia, 55.0; Diego Delgado Martinez, Columbia, 53.5; Doug Ross, Canada, 51.5; Francisco Miranda Arellano, Chile, 46.5; Morgan Davis, Barbados, 38.25; Christian Safie Sittenefeld, Guatemala, 28.0; Irizarri Franco, Dominican Republic, 23.0; Eric Holsteinson, Dominican Republic, 1.50.

Women’s Tricks – 1, Regina Jaquess, Suwanee, Ga., 6,730. 2, Mariana Ramirez Filsinger, Mexico, 6,050. 3, Rhoni Barton, Orlando, Fla., 5,610. 4, Maria Camila Linares Alvarez, Columbia, 4,410. 5, Tiare Mirnada Arellano, Chile, 3,740. 6, Beanne Wagner, Canada, 3,610. 7, Aline Nelson Rueda, Mexico, 3,350. 8, Lorena Botana, Argentina, 3,220. Did not qualify for finals: Maria Luisa Botero Villa, Columbia, 3,150; Maria De Lorenzo, Brazil, 2,140.