She won the junior title at the 1961 United States Figure Skating Championships. She was invited to participate in an exhibition following that year's World Figure Skating Championships but declined because her school would not allow her to go. That decision proved fateful, as the flight she would have been on (Sabena Flight 548) crashed near Brussels, Belgium, killing all on board. Hanlon won the silver medal at the 1962 U.S. Championships, and the gold at the 1963 U.S. Championships. After her skating career ended, Hanlon became a physician and later went into medical research.