Capital Senior Donovan Slattery Named Printing Concepts Scholar Athlete of the Month

Written by Capital University Athletics Communications Office

Capital University cross country and track and field runner Donovan Slattery has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference’s Scholar Athlete of the Month presented by Printing Concepts for the month of April. 

Slattery is a senior student-athlete majoring in Music Industry and competing year-round in cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track. As a student, Slattery maintains a cumulative grade point average of 3.89 in one of the demanding music majors that Capital University has to offer. As an athlete, Slattery is one of the most accomplished distance runners to ever compete for Capital, holding four school records and holding a spot on the program top-10 list in 11 events. 

With the rigor of collegiate athletics and a year-round training and competition schedule, balance can be difficult for a student-athlete to handle. Slattery has demonstrated that he is up for the challenge.

  “Competing year-round is honestly a gift and a curse,” said Slattery. “I love competing and constantly having great competition is amazing. It can be very tiring at times and it’s easy to lose track of the progress you have made. Recovery is very important and something that has taken a while to learn how to manage, but overall I will never turn down an opportunity to race!” 

Along with the constant grind of training his sport and completing his studies, Slattery still finds time to participate in Chapel Choir, Philomel, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and work a student internship. All of these activities consume time and Slattery’s key to success has been organization. 

“I have learned how important it is to stay organized,” continued Slattery. “Having a planner and up-to-date calendar has helped me be successful. I always know when my practice is, so making sure my assignments are done beforehand or making time after practice has gotten me to where I am today.”

With the Capital University Conservatory of Music priding itself on its prestige and depth of programs to make itself distinct, students are prepared for any opportunity imaginable through the art of music. Slattery approaches his involvement in this program very similarly to that of being a long-distance runner. 

“In a funny way I feel that music and running almost balance each other out,” Donovan continued. “They allow me to see and participate in seemingly opposite sides of the spectrum. I feel that each allows me to take a break from the other and reset myself while also making me focus on each when I need to.”

In both paths of Donovan’s college journey, he credits his coaches and professors for being helpful in making both of these paths come to fruition. 

“My professors have been very understanding and helpful in the process when schedule conflicts do arise,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough for this! Overall, balancing my major and running comes down to communication and focus.”

While maintaining the academic balance successfully, demonstrated by his 3.89 GPA, Slattery has also maintained the athletic balance successfully, finishing his name atop four school records across the various events he competes in. Just this past fall, at the regional championships, Donovan broke a 48-year old school record in the 8,000-meter cross country race. Additionally, his name stands next to three track school records as well. 

“Being a record holder at Capital is a great honor,” he said. “It fills me with a lot of pride being able to see my name and my current teammates’ names up there. There are a few more that I have my eyes set on during my last year.”

Much like Slattery credited his professors for his academic success, he says he could not have found his athletic success without the guidance of his coaches – Bre Clayton and BT Pham. 

“I could not have accomplished these records without Coach Bre,” he said. “She and Coach Pham have been amazing coaches and mentors in my life. Coach Bre trained me to where I am today through the highs and lows and I cannot thank her enough for that. Seeing the team grow under her leadership in the past two years has been an amazing experience.”

With much of the outdoor track and field season left to run, the opportunity to continue his legacy as one of the top distance runners to wear the Purple and White remains.