Spring Sports : SWIMMING

The West Covina Invitational, one of the Southland’s top high school swimming meets, concludes Saturday at the Industry Hills Swimming Complex. There are 25 teams and more than 1,300 participants at the two-weekend event. One of them, Ashley Habndiges of Whittier La Serna, set two meet records in preliminary heats of the 200 freestyle (1:56.76) and 500 freestyle (5:06.22) last Saturday. By taking place a week before the league championships, the meet will have some of the area’s top performances this season. Swimmers are just starting their tapering, although they haven’t shaved, and they are in near-peak condition. They are also making a push to qualify for the Southern Section meet. “Sometimes kids get mentally up for this meet, maybe because it’s our meet or because it’s a big meet, and swim their best times,” West Covina Coach Bob Mount said. “You have to be cautious and remind them that they are not there for social reasons or a suntan.” . . . A day after suffering a rare defeat in the 100-yard breaststroke, Olympic team member Amanda Beard of Irvine set a record in the event at the Foothill Swim Games last Saturday. Beard’s time of 1:02.38 eclipsed the record of 1:03.09 set by Amber Wines of Santa Ana Valley during Friday’s preliminaries. . . . Freshman Jennifer Parmenter of Los Angeles Baptist, who barely missed a spot on the Olympic team, won the 100-yard backstroke in 59.25 and the 200 individual medley in 2:06.79 at the Simi Valley Royal Invitational last Saturday.