Swimmer’s death Mike Sheldt was an outstanding student, athlete and leader among his peers who "did everything with good humor," his high school swimming coach, Jay Seaman, said today.
is a shock to friends
His high-school coach praises his
leadership skill and good humorBy Dave Reardon and Grace Wen
dreardon@starbulletin.com gwen@starbulletin.com
Sheldt, the 18-year-old University of Hawaii swimmer from Charlotte, N.C., died yesterday afternoon after collapsing in a pool at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
A woman put a comforting arm yesterday on JiaLin Sun, assistant coach of the UH swimming and diving team, as she walked into the Straub Hospital emergency room.
"I had the honor of coaching Mike the past couple years (at Myers Park High School)," Seaman said. "Not only was he one of our fastest swimmers, he was also one of the most well-recognized students at the school and the state."
The mood at Myers Park was somber today, said Jay Foreman, another swimming coach.
"The kids and teachers who knew him are pretty much in shock," Foreman said. "It's a different kind of day, a sad day."
Sheldt was captain of the swim team last year, and a state champion in the 200 meter medley relay. He was also in the National Honor Society and active in a campus church group.
"He was very jovial and always had a smile on his face," Seaman said. "As team captain, he was the cheerleader guy I would use to bring up the spirits of his teammates."
Sheldt loved to surf, and Seaman said that might be part of the reason he chose to go to college at UH (in addition to being heavily recruited for the swim team).
"But I think it was mostly for academic reasons," Seaman said. "He wanted to major in marine biology or oceanography."
Sheldt was swimming before practice yesterday about 2:45 p.m. when a UH teammate he was warming up with saw him at the bottom of the pool. Sheldt was not breathing when his teammates pulled him out of the water and onto the pool deck, according to paramedics.
UH staff performed CPR until paramedics arrived, UH spokeswoman Lois Manin said. Paramedics used a defibrillator on Sheldt five times and continued CPR, but could not revive him.
He was taken to Straub Clinic and Hospital, where he later was pronounced dead. An autopsy was performed today, but the cause of death was not yet known.
"It's too tough to speculate if it's a (pre-existing) medical problem or not," Manin said last night. She said it was not known if Sheldt used any performance supplements, but added that the university discourages their use.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Mike Sheldt," UH Athletic Director Herman Frazier said. "He was a member of our athletic ohana. We will miss him and his contributions to our swimming program. Our prayers are with his family, teammates and coaches."
It is the first death of a UH athlete in a practice or game in at least 30 years, according to head trainer Eric Okasaki, Manin said.
But it was the second tragedy in the past two years to hit the UH swimming community. Tammy Tye, 19, was killed March 16, 2001, after she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle in a crosswalk on South Beretania Street.
More than 10 members and coaches of the swim team and UH officials went to the hospital to be with Sheldt. The pool was closed soon after the incident.
"We're all shocked and numb at the loss of Mike Sheldt," UH head swimming coach Mike Anderson said through a university release. "We are very concerned at taking care of his family and our kids and trying to go forward one step at a time."
Sheldt returned to Honolulu last weekend after a second-place finish by the UH men's team at the National Independent Conference Championships in Rochester, Mich. Sheldt swam the 200-meter individual medley and 400-meter individual medley at the meet. Sheldt had been hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships at this weekend's Last Chance meet at UH.
Sheldt's teammates returned to the aquatics complex about 6:25 p.m. for a meeting with university grief counselors and Frazier.
"Some of them aren't taking it very well ... but they know who to call if they need to talk individually," Manin said.
Sheldt is survived by parents Mike and Shawnee, and sister Mikaela. They left Charlotte for Honolulu today, Seaman said.
