It is no secret that the Drury swimming/diving program is one of the most storied programs in the nation. The men’s program and its origin of dominance dates back to the late 1960’s. The women’s dominance began in the late 1980’s and with student-athletes like Janelle Slattery that dominance continues today.
Janelle Slattery, a native of Waikerie, Australia came to Drury in the fall of 2005. She immediately became a force with which to be reckoned over the next four years. Drury head coach Brian Reynolds knew early on that Janelle would become one of the best athletes in a program that produces amazingly successful swimmers. Before she was too far into her Drury career Coach Reynolds stated, “Janelle is one of the people who can carry a team. She is a terrific freestyler, butterflyer and backstroker. She has shown time and time again that she is a person you can go to and expect a lot from. Janelle is jut a really talented athlete and we are fortunate to have her.” Truly fortunate. Today Janelle joins the list of all-time greats in being only the 13th female swimmer in the history of the tradition-rich Drury women’s swimming/diving program to be inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame.
In her freshman year (2005-06) she was named her team’s Most Valuable Swimmer. She again earned that honor, one that annually goes to the person who scores the most points at that year’s national championship, in 2008. Janelle was also elected team captain her junior and senior seasons. Her amazing career started and ended, if you will excuse the expression, “with a splash”. In the individual events during her career she finished outside the top 8 at NCAA II championships only once, that coming her first year when she placed 9th in the 200 backstroke.
Overall, Janelle was a 26-time NCAA-II All-American and 13-time NCAA-II national champion. She helped the Drury women’s swimming/diving team to the NCAA-II National Championship team title in 2007 and 2009 and second place finishes in 2006 and 2008. Her senior year she punctuated her hall-of-fame career by winning the 100-yard butterfly with a national record-setting time of 53.76. That same year she was part of two national championship relay teams (400 medley relay and 800 free relay) and finished second in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events. In addition to her individual national record-setting performance, during her career Janelle was part of several relay teams that set national records.
Janelle is second to none in her accomplishments, competitive fire and phenomenal versatility. While she was primarily a butterfly/backstroke specialist, those characteristics were never more evident than at the 2008 national championships. That year she led her Drury team in points scored by winning the national title in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing second in the 200-yard backstroke and taking third in the 100-yard butterfly. She was part of two national championship medley relay teams and a member of the 400 free relay team that took third at the NCAA-II national meet. She also added a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly event.
Janelle’s assault on the NCAA-II swimming world was spectacular to say the least. Her first two years she put the nation on notice in claiming an individual title in the 100-yard backstroke in 2006 and an individual title in the 200-yard butterfly in 2007. During those two years she finished second in the nation three times individually, third twice and ninth on one occasion. She was part of five national championship relay teams. All this as a freshman and sophomore.
A finalist at the Australian Olympic Trials in 2004, Janelle came to Drury from Waikerie, Australia. A graduate of Adelaide High School, she earned her A.B. from Drury with a degree in Chemistry on May 16, 2009. Janelle now resides in Perth, Australia where she is currently in the Doctor of Medicine program at the University of Western Australia. Her plan is to specialize in the area of Infectious Disease with hopes of working in rural and remote areas of Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She developed her interest in that specialized area while working with a population of HIV positive patients and while working in a hospital pharmacy in Sydney after her graduation from Drury.
