Gwyn Coogan

Gwyn Coogan was a distance runner who competed in the 10,000 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Coogan attended Philips Exeter Academy prep school, where she played squash, lacrosse, and field hockey. She then went to Smith College where she majored in mathematics, and took up distance running, winning the 3K title twice at the NCAA Division III meet. In addition to her Olympic appearance she competed at the 1995 Pan American Games in the 10K, finishing seventh. Coogan won the 1998 USA Championships in the marathon, and had several podium finishes at the USA Championships on the track. She was second in the 10K in 1994 and third in 1992, which doubled as the Olympic Trials. Coogan also finished third at the 1989 TAC Meet in the 3,000 metres.

Coogan later returned to graduate school in mathematics, earning a PhD from the University of Colorado in 1999, specializing in number theory. She later did a post-doc at the University of Wisconsin, and then taught at Hood College in Maryland, and then Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, where she had studied in high school. She was married to Mark Coogan, also an Olympic distance runner in the 1996 marathon. Their daughter, Katrina Coogan, was an 11-time All-American at Georgetown and an 8-time Big East Conference Champion as a distance runner.

Personal Best: 10000 – 32:08.77 (1994); Marathon – 2-33:37 (1998).