University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
NCAA Championships
Purrier Claims Eighth All-American Accolade, Finishes 18th in NCAA Championship
11/18/2017 10:26:00 AM | Women's Cross Country, UNH Insider
LOUISVILLE, Kty. - Senior Elinor Purrier (Montgomery, Vt.), already the best and most decorated runner in the history of the University of New Hampshire cross country and track & field program, added another notch in her belt this Saturday at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Purrier finished 18th overall in the 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships at the E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park. Purrier turned in a time of 19 minutes, 53.7 seconds over the 6-kilometer course.
The finish was the latest impressive result for the fifth-year senior from the small town of Montgomery in Northern Vermont.
Purrier is now an eight-time All American.
The overall race winner was Ednah Kurgat of New Mexico; New Mexico also took the first place victory in team score with 90 points. San Francisco finished second with a team score of 105 and Colorado finished third with 139.
She has advanced to the NCAA finals in each of her last seven seasons and each time has finished seventh or better in the final race against the best racers in the country over a range of distances and events from the 6000-meter run in cross country to the mile at the NCAA Indoor championships to the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Outdoor Championships.
"Seven straight seasons of making the NCAA finals is unheard of," said Robert Hoppler, UNH's women's cross country coach.
Purrier has a second-place finish, a couple of third-place results, a fourth and a pair of sevenths in that stretch.
When she finished seventh in the steeplechase at the NCAAs as a sophomore in 2014, it was the best finish ever by a UNH woman in either cross country or track & field.
She had competed in four races this season coming into the NCAA finals and won them all.
Last year, she was seventh in the NCAA cross country finals, second in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and fourth in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
"She had a time that qualified her for the finals in the 800-meter run, too," Hoppler said. "Very few athletes could qualify in the 800 and right up through the mile, the steeplechase and the 6-K in cross country. She's a unique talent and has incredible range. Her range is one of her greatest attributes."
As the cross country season comes to a close, Purrier will continue on to the indoor and outdoor track seasons, starting this winter with indoor track.
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