BRIEFLY : FROSTAD, WHITNEY WIN TITLES.

Lawrence Frostad and Ashley Whitney won 800-meter freestyle titles Monday in the Phillips 66 national championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the country's first major swim event since the Atlanta Games.

Frostad, who captured his sixth U.S. title, was timed in 8:02.64, four seconds better than Andy Potts of Princeton, N.J. Frostad's time is the fifth fastest in the world and fastest by an American this year.

``I'm so happy right now,'' Frostad said. ``I don't look 29 and I don't feel 29. There's no reason I should be beating these kids in here. Something's wrong here.''

The next oldest male competitor in the top 10 was 19 years old.

Frostad, representing Massachusetts Bay Marlins, nearly made the 1996 Olympic team after retiring in 1993 and returning to the sport in 1995. He works as a stockbroker's assistant in Boston.

Whitney, who earned a gold medal swimming in the preliminaries of the 800-meter freestyle relay in Atlanta, won her first national title by beating Lauren Thies.

Whitney, 16, of Jacksonville, Fla., was representing Bolles Sharks. She finished in 8:36.62, her lifetime best and the seventh fastest time this year. Thies, 16, of Portland, Ore., was clocked in 8:38.23.

``He (Bolles coach Gregg Troy) thinks I should have an attitude like Brooke Bennett, where I should want to swim the 800 (freestyle),'' Whitney said. ``I look at it like I have to swim it, but this race gave me a little confidence.''

TENNIS

Petr Korda, playing in just his second tournament after groin surgery last year, beat Hicham Arazi of Morocco 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the first round of the $1 million RCA Championship in Indianapolis.

Andrei Medvedev beat Stephane Simian 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the Pilot Pen International in New Haven, Conn. Medvedev, the 13th seed, had not faced Simian in five years, when he lost to him in two straight qualifying matches, the first at New Haven after he had reached match point.

David Rikl of the Czech Republic defeated Croatian Goran Prpic 6-4, 6-4 in the opening match of the Croatian Open in Umag.

Steffi Graf will represent Germany in this year's Hopman Cup international mixed-teams event in Perth, Australia. The Hopman Cup will be played from Dec. 29-Jan. 4 at the Burswood Dome.

ETC.

Bill Shumard, interim athletic director at Long Beach State since March, was hired on a permanent basis. Shumard, 45, was appointed following a national search and interview process that included meetings with university administrators, athletics staff and coaches, faculty, students and members of the community. . . . Alvin Williamson, a former point guard at Tulsa, has been named an assistant basketball coach at Washington State, Cougars coach Kevin Eastman said. . . .

Fran Fraschilla, who left Manhattan to coach St. John's, will face his former team in the first round of the ECAC Holiday Festival on Thursday, Dec. 26, at Madison Square Garden in New York. . . . The NCAA upheld Maine's 1993 men's hockey national championship, ruling that USA Hockey officials misled players who accepted stipends for playing in the Olympics.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia hits a backhand during h is victory over Hicham Arazi of Morocco.

Associated Press