There’s Some Consolation for Jones

Amy Jones of Cleveland High didn’t end up on the winner’s platform Friday in the Janet Evans Invitational at USC, but she’s a big winner just the same.

Jones, swimming for Canyons Aquatics, swam a 58.13 in the consolation final of the 100-meter freestyle to qualify for the Senior Nationals in Clovis in two weeks.

“I think she’s still a little in shock,” Coach Bruce Patmos said. “I don’t think she thought she could do it.”

Jones, 15, the youngest swimmer in the field of 24 to advance from the preliminaries in the 100 meters, set City Section records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle in the preliminaries as a freshman in June and continues to improve.

Finishing 16th in preliminaries earlier Friday, Jones qualified for the consolation final, where she finished second to Lindsey Farella (57.95), and was 10th overall.

Anthony Ervin of Hart, with Canyons Aquatics since age 8, tied for 10th in the 100 freestyle final in 52.86, turning in his best “unrested time,” Patmos said.

“He said he felt he could have gone faster,” Patmos said. “He didn’t want to push it too much in the beginning. It’s a great sign considering he has two weeks to perform.”

Patmos said his swimmers, including Ervin who has qualified for Senior Nationals in the 50-, 100-, and 200 freestyle, will begin to taper their workouts, resting for the Senior Nationals.

“Basically, if you haven’t done it by now, you’re not going to do it,” Patmos said. “It becomes more mental now.”

Jennifer Parmenter of Granada Hills, 17, a seven-time U.S. National Champion, was a no-show on the second day of the Invitational because of stomach illness, Swim Pasadena Coach Terry Stoddard said.

“I got a call 6:10 [Friday] morning from her mother saying she was sick, not feeling well and vomiting,” Stoddard said.

Parmenter, winner of the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke--two of her weaker events--in the City Section finals, finished a disappointing 34th of 54 in a timed final of the 800 freestyle Thursday night.

Impending illness could have been the reason, Stoddard said.

“She wasn’t herself [Thursday] night,” Stoddard said. “She just didn’t look the same.”

Stoddard is hoping it is a 24-hour bug and that Parmenter will return to form today for her best event, the 400 individual medley. Parmenter finished third at the 1996 Olympic Trials in the 400 IM and owns the ninth-fastest time by an American woman in the event.

“I personally feel she’ll be here tomorrow,” he said.