Janis Hape

Janis Lynn Hape (March 10, 1958 – March 7, 2021), also known by her married name Janis Dowd, was an American competition swimmer who earned All American honors competing for the University of North Carolina. Prior to college, at 18, she participated in the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the 200-meter breaststroke recording a time of 2:45.57, finishing in 25th place. She later co-founded the aerobics studio Exercise Plus in Charlotte, North Carolina, which she operated through 1993. She and her husband Frank Dowd were generous donors to USA swimming and the University of North Carolina Swimming and Diving program, and she was a co-founder of the Janis Hape Dowd Nike Invitational, a swimming competition held at North Carolina's Koury Natatorium.

Early life Hape was born March 10, 1958, in Gary, Indiana as the third child of Diana and James Marshall Hape. She had two older brothers, Jeff and Gary. After a family move to Beaver, Pennsylvania, she learned to swim at age seven at the nearby Sewickly, Pennsylvania YMCA.

On November 15, 1975, while competing for West Genesee High at the girls Intersectional Swimming Tournament, Hape broke the national age-group record for the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.3, and swam a leg on the freestyle relay team that set a National record of 3:58.5.

After qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team by placing third in the 200-meter breaststroke in the Olympic trials, Hape trained at Virginia's West Point. She competed in the preliminary heats of the women's 200-meter breaststroke, and recorded a best time of 2:45.57, finishing in 25th place. The North Carolina women's team, managed by Head Coach Frank Comfort was exceptionally strong those years, and also featured 1972 Olympian Ann Marshall, 1976 Olympic medalist Wendy Weinberg, and 1976 100-meter American record holder Bonnie Brown. In 1980, near the end of Hape's time swimming at North Carolina, Sue Walsh, UNC Athletic Hall of Fame and 1983 Pan American Gold medalist, joined the team.

A 1980 graduate of USC, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and founded the aerobics club Exercise Plus, which she operated through 1993 with her friend Kathy Horvath.