Ervin Sets World Record in 50 Meters

Anthony Ervin, a Hart High graduate who is a freshman at California, set a 50-meter short-course world record Thursday with a time of 21.21 seconds at the NCAA Championships at University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

Ervin, The Times’ all-region boys’ swimmer of the year last season, edged sophomore Roland Schoeman of Arizona, who finished in 21.22.

Both bettered the short-course world record of 21.31 by Mark Foster of Great Britain in 1998.

Ervin, who set an American record of 21.42 earlier in the season, clocked 21.50 in preliminaries Thursday.

* Jana Richardson of Ventura High placed eighth with a time of 1:52.30 in the women’s 200-yard freestyle Thursday at the U.S. Junior Championships’ West Regional meet in Anchorage.

Keiko Amano of Villanova Prep in Ojai was 16th in the same race with a time of 1:56.44. Both are members of the Ventura-based Buenaventura Swim Club.

Timothy Wang placed 18th in 1:42.97 and Travis Taylor, his Rose Bowl Aquatics teammate, was 22nd in 1:43.49 in the men’s 200 freestyle.

Brian Brown of El Camino Real and Calabasas-based Combined Competitive Aquatics Team was 22nd in the men’s 400 individual medley in 4:08.28.

ATHLETICS

The Southern Section has adopted a tiebreaker rule for championship football games.

The section voted to adopt the same format, the 25-yard system, it uses in playoff games leading up to the championship game. In the 25-yard system, each team gets four downs to score from the 25-yard line.

Principal Patrick Murphy of Mater Dei, which tied Long Beach Poly, 21-21, Dec. 11 for the Division I title, proposed the rule change. It was approved, 38-26, by section officials.

The Southern Section also announced it will no longer allow teams to move up divisions in enrollment-based playoffs.

SOCCER

* Nick Paneno, a La Canada High graduate who plays for UCLA, was named to the Men’s University Division Fall/Winter At-Large GTE Academic All-District VIII second team.

Paneno, a senior defensive midfielder with a 3.25 grade-point average, is the third UCLA men’s soccer player selected to the GTE Academic All-District team. A sociology major, Paneno also made the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic team.

BASKETBALL

* Crespi is looking for high school teams to join its Wednesday night boys’ summer league.

There also are openings for Crespi’s summer tournament June 28-July 1.

Information: (818) 345-1672.