Barkman's earliest coaches include Bob Fitzgerald who mentored her when she was six-years-old, Bill Taylor, who worked with her from ages seven-eleven.

[1][4] In the finals, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Linda Gustavson, Sue Pedersen, and Jan Henne.

[1] At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, she was also part of the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, including Sandy Neilson, Jenny Kemp and Shirley Babashoff.

[9] Neilson, Kemp, Barkman and Babashoff set a new world record of 3:55.19 in the final, narrowly edging the East German team.

[10] Barkman served as a Tri-Captain of the 1972 team and was a Torchbearer carrying the torch en route to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.