Tappin competed at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, where she earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Inside that issue is an article on Tappin titled 'Tappin on the Door to Success' by Kari Lydersen with photos by Lori Adamski-Peek.

At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, she received gold medals for swimming for the first-place U.S. teams in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay, and the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

[6] She won an NCAA championship in the 4×100-meter medley relay with teammates Janie Wagstaff, Shannon Price and Nicole Haislett in 1994.

She is a veteran celebrity swimmer for Swim Across America (SAA), a charitable organization that raises funds for cancer research, and she has participated in three SAA events in Boston, Massachusetts.