SIDELINES : Freestyle Swimmer Sets Record

AUSTIN, Tex. —  Leigh Ann Fetter of Texas today became the first woman to swim the 50-yard freestyle in less than 22 seconds as she set U.S. Open, American and NCAA records.

Fetter’s time of 21.92 seconds came on the first day of the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The finals are scheduled tonight. Fetter, a junior from Louisville, Ky., held the U.S., American and NCAA records of 22.05, a time she swam in 1989.

The second-fastest qualifier in the 50-yard freestyle was Jennifer Boyd, a Brown senior, with a time of 22.39. Olympic gold medal winner Janet Evans of Stanford led qualifiers in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:39.03, which was not close to the U.S., American or NCAA records. Evans, a freshman from Placentia, holds three world records in the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1,500-meter.