Swimmer Fellezs fast and inspiring

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

If ever the title of an award fit an individual, it was when Carla Fellezs was chosen Most Inspirational Women's Athlete at the University of Puget Sound, Wash., for 2001-2002.

Fellezs may be the fastest female swimmer in the history of Puget Sound, the dominant small-college swimming team in the Northwest.

She was a 10-time NCAA Division III All-American, and eight-time NAIA All-American (before Puget Sound switched to the NCAA). She is the school-record holder in the women's 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and two relays, and the Northwest Conference meet-record holder in the freestyle sprints, the 100 backstroke and several relays.

But it isn't the obvious inspiration of her performances, it is when she did them, that made Fellezs one of the most memorable athletes in the coaching career of Puget Sound's Chris Myhre.

Nearly all of her record swims were achieved as she led off relays, Myhre said. "You know — the team! In the individual swims, the individual 'light' is shining on just her. But in the relays, it is the whole group that has the light on it — the four, not the one. That is the mindset she took into those races — it was all about the team."

"For example," Myhre says, "at the NCAA championships this year. In the morning trials, she swims 52.47 in the 100 freestyle. Two hours later, in a relay, she goes 51.81 for a school record."

"Team success is her constant focus," Myhre said. Puget Sound won the Northwest Conference women's championship every year Fellezs swam for the Loggers.

"Carla is a class act. I have learned much from her and I will miss her next season and beyond," Myhre said. "But the really cool thing is that I know, like I have known nothing else, that this is a young woman that will succeed in whatever she does . . . It has been an honor."

Fellezs, a 1998 Kamehameha Schools graduate, received her bachelor's degree in mathematics in May (overall grade-point average 3.61) and is home in Mililani, job hunting.

Anybody need a team player?

EXTRA LAP: The school 50-freestyle record broken by Carla Fellezs with a time of 23.87 seconds had been set by Michelle Parrish (University '92 of 'Aiea) in 1993. The conference meet backstroke record she broke by 1/100th of a second with a time of 59.44 had been set by Desire' DeSoto (Pearl City '91 of Makaha) for Whitworth (Wash.) in 1995.

WATER POLO

• UC-Santa Barbara

Paul Helfer (Iolani '01 of Wai'alae) received honorable mention All-America after USA Water Polo's senior national championships this month at Corona del Mar, Calif.

• Massachusetts

Freshman Chris Love (Kahuku '01) is returning to Hawai'i after UMass dropped its men's water polo program after last season.

Love will return Friday and will play for coach Aukai Ferguson at Brigham Young-Hawai'i this fall.