SWIMMING / U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS : Evans Sets Mark With 11th Title in 400

World record-holder Janet Evans won the women’s 400-meter race in the National Swimming Championships for a record 11th time Tuesday, giving the Olympic gold medalist her 40th national title.

Evans finished in 4 minutes, 8.78 seconds, fastest in the world this year, to maintain her domination of the race that dates back to the 1986 Goodwill Games. Evans, who has held the world record of 4:03.85 since 1988, has finished first in the 400 freestyle 24 times in 25 starts at the national or major international level.

Cristina Teuscher, 16, who will be a junior at New Rochelle High in New York this fall, finished second to Evans in 4:11.20 as she qualified for her fourth event in next month’s World Championships in Rome. Brooke Bennett, a 14-year-old from Tampa, Fla., who was the second-fastest qualifier in the morning trials at 4:13.67, finished third at 4:13.78.

Evans, 22, tied the record for national titles in one event set in the 200 butterfly last spring by Mel Stewart.

Evans thought her days as a swimmer were over after the competition in Barcelona, but now she’s thinking about remaining through the 1996 Olympics.

“The only reason I’m swimming now is I take it all with a grain of salt,” Evans said. “I’m going to wait and see how I swim this year . . . . I’d love to swim in Atlanta.”

Other champions determined Tuesday were Gary Hall Jr. in the 100 freestyle, Lea Loveless in the 100 backstroke and Brad Bridgewater in the 200 backstroke.

Angel Martino beat Nicole Haislett by .54 seconds in a swimoff to determine the second American representative in the 100 freestyle in Rome. The two had tied for second when the event was held Sunday. Martino won the swimoff in 55.30 to Haislett’s 55.84.

The championships continue through Saturday.