SWIMMING LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL : Meet Featuring National Teams Begins Today

World record-holder Janet Evans of Placentia leads a 23-member contingent from Texas Aquatics into the Los Angeles Invitational today through Sunday at the McDonald’s Swim Stadium at USC.

The first session, at 4 p.m. today, is limited to timed finals in the men’s and women’s 800-meter freestyle. Evans is the women’s world record-holder and 1988 Olympic gold medalist in the 800 freestyle.

Preliminaries will be held Friday through Sunday at 9 a.m. Finals will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 4 p.m. Sunday.

The Texas group is composed of swimmers on the national A and B teams plus 1992 Olympic coaches Eddie Reese and Mark Schubert.

Five-time gold medalist Matt Biondi of Castro Valley, Calif., and world record-holder Melvin Stewart of Las Vegas are also in the meet’s field, along with American record-holder Summer Sanders of Roseville, Calif., and Crissy Ahmann-Leighton of Tucson, the fourth-fastest 100 butterfly swimmer in U.S. history.

Linley Frame, who won the 100 breaststroke in the World Championships at Perth, Australia, is among six members entered from Australia’s Pan Pacific Games team.

Among the top Southland swimmers expected to compete are Artur Wojdat, Lisa Jacob and Eric Diehl of Mission Viejo; Kristine Quance of CLASS Aquatics; Mike Mason of Team Trojan, and Dan and Lars Jorgensen of Blue Fin Swim Team in San Diego.

Mark Spitz, 41, the meet record-holder in the 100 butterfly (54.88 seconds in 1972), will continue his comeback attempt.