Cornell University Athletics

Akpaete's up-to-date results

As a Junior (2014-15)
Akpaete continued to dominate in her junior year, concluding her season by earning second team All-American honors with her 4x400 relay team after their run at NCAA Championships. Indoors, she picked up the Ivy League title in the 400m at Indoor Heptagonals. Her mile relay team also took the league championship, setting an Indoor Heps record. In the 200, her third-place time of 24.22 was good for second all-time at Cornell. She continued her success through the outdoor season, culminating in an incredible showing at Outdoor Heps. She won the league title in both the 200 and 400 in school-record fashion, finishing the 200 in 23.78 (fourth-fastest in meet history) and the 400 in 53.17 (fifth-fastest in meet history). Her 4x100 relay team broke both the school and Ivy League record, crossing the line in 45.21. She also advanced out of the preliminary round of the NCAA East Regionals in the 400. 

As a Sophomore (2013-14)
Akpaete became a key player for Cornell during her sophomore season.  At the Indoor Heps, she helped Cornell to two first-place event finishes, both individually in the 400 at 55.21 and as anchor in the 4x400 relay.  Her success continued into the Indoor ECACs, where she helped her 4x400 team repeat to another first-place finish.  At the Outdoor Heps, Akpaete finished third in the 200 at 24.18, second in the 400 at 54.61, and again helped her teammates win the 4x400 as anchor.  Her contributions at the Outdoor Heps totaled 24 points for Cornell.  Akpaete also competed at the Outdoor ECACs in the 200 and the 4x400, contributing to yet another first-place finish in the latter.  The impressive run of the 4x400 team, anchored by Akpaete, ended at the preliminaries of the NCAA Championships with a 13^th-place finish of 3:34.94.

As a Freshman (2012-13)
A walk-on to the team in February 2013, Akpaete made an immediate impact for the Big Red and scored points in major meets. She was part of Cornell's DMR at the Indoor ECACs that scored five points by placing fourth overall. She also helped the Big Red to a win in the 4x400 Heptagonal Relay at Penn Relays, was on the second-place 4x100 and 4x400 teams at the Outdoor Heps, placed eighth in 24.44 seconds -- she set a PR of 24.35 seconds in the preliminary round -- at Outdoor Heps in the 200 and fifth in 55.61 at the same meet in the 400. Akpaete followed that by running the third leg of the Big Red's 4x400 team at the Outdoor ECACs that placed fifth and scored four points. A very promising freshman, Akpaete should be a large part of the Big Red track team in 2013 as well.

Before Cornell
Akpaete had four years of track and field experience in high school, specializing in sprints. She was named the Gazette Athlete of the Year in women's indoor track as a senior, and she was a state champion in the 500 during her junior year. Akpaete was also a captain on her field hockey and lacrosse teams as a senior besides being a track captain.

Personal
Udeme Adiong Akpaete is the daughter of Isaiah and Ima Akpaete. She has an older brother, Kefre, and an older sister, Nenna.