Swarthmore College Athletics

Despite never competing in a track event until arriving at the College, Imo Akpan '02 finished her Swarthmore tenure as one of the school's most accomplished female track athletes. A versatile athlete who excelled in both sprints and jumps, Akpan captured a program-best 13 Centennial Conference championships during her career across a wide range of events, including the 55-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, long jump, distance medley relay, and 4 x 400 relay. During a spectacular senior season, Akpan captured All-America honors in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meter runs, was named the Most Outstanding Performer at both the Centennial Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championship meets, was honored as the United States Track Coaches Association Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and was part of a Garnet 4 x 400 relay team that won the gold medal at the 2002 Penn Relays. A decade after her graduation, Akpan still holds the school record in the 55-meter dash (7.20), 100-meter dash (12.57), 200-meter dash (24.73) and 400-meter dash (56.02). Today, Akpan lives in Chicago and is an internal medicine resident physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; she plans to do a fellowship in hematology/oncology.