University of New Hampshire Athletics
UNH Alum Elle Purrier St. Pierre On To 1,500m Finals at U.S. Olympic Team Trials
6/19/2021 10:22:00 PM | General
EUGENE, Ore. – Elle Purrier St. Pierre, a 2018 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, won her 1,500-meter semifinal heat in Saturday's U.S. Olympic Team track & field trials at Hayward Field to advance out the into the finals.
Purrier St. Pierre won Heat 1 with a time of 4 minutes, 9.18 seconds to advance to the 1,500m finals June 21 at 8:05 p.m. Eastern. That race will be broadcast on NBC.
The top five finishers of both semifinal heats and the next two fastest times advanced to the finals.
Purrier St. Pierre had advanced into the semifinals by winning Heat 3 of Friday's first round with a time of 4:11.78. Click Here to read that recap.
U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field – Schedule
U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field – Results
U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field – TV Schedule
Purrier St. Pierre's semifinal time of 4:09.18 was seventh fastest overall in the field of 24 semifinalists.
Running out of position seven in Heat 1, Purrier St. Pierre surged to the outside shoulder of the leader in the early stages and led the way with a 1:11.83 split in the opening 400m. She remained ahead of the pack in 2:20.92 at 800m and then broke away from the pack with a 1:02.70 third quarter-mile for a 1,200m split of 3:23.62. Purrier St. Pierre maintained her lead down the final straightaway to cruise into the finals.
Earlier this year (May 9), she won the 1,500m at the USA Track & Field Golden Games with the world's fastest time of the year in 3:58.34.
One week later, Purrier St. Pierre ran a sub-2 minute 800m with a time of 1:59.99. She is also entered at the U.S. trials in the 800m, which starts June 24.
Purrier St. Pierre was an 11-time All-American and 17-time America East champion across UNH's cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field teams; she was the NCAA national champion in the mile at the 2018 indoor meet.
She also excelled in the classroom by completing a double major of Nutrition: Wellness and EcoGastronomy in May 2018 with a 3.71 cumulative grade point average.
Purrier St. Pierre swept the America East conference Scholar-Athlete season awards for women's cross country, women's indoor track & field and women's outdoor track & field in both the 2016-17 and 2027-18 academic years. She was also named the America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year both years.
Purrier St. Pierre holds six individual records and is part of four record relays in the UNH record book. On the indoor leaderboard, she is at the top of the list in the 800 meters (2:03.64), 1,000m (2:46.02), mile (4:26.55) and 3,000m (8:55.68); she is also part of the record distance medley relay team. On the outdoor leaderboard, she is the top 'Cat in the 1,500m (4:10.08) and steeplechase (9:43.65), as well as the sprint medley, 4x800m and 4x1,500m relays; she also graduated as the UNH record holder in the 800m.
Her name in more than the school's record book. At the 2020 Millrose Games, Purrier St. Pierre ran the second-fastest women's indoor mile in history and broke a 37-year old American record with a time of 4:16.85. And in February 2021, she broke the American indoor 2-mile record in 9:10.28.
In the 2017 cross country season at UNH, Purrier St. Pierre won her third America East individual title to lead the Wildcats to a fifth consecutive team title; she went on to repeat as NCAA Northeast Regional champion, was named Regional Runner of the Year and placed 18th at the NCAA Championships.
Purrier St. Pierre won Heat 1 with a time of 4 minutes, 9.18 seconds to advance to the 1,500m finals June 21 at 8:05 p.m. Eastern. That race will be broadcast on NBC.
The top five finishers of both semifinal heats and the next two fastest times advanced to the finals.
Purrier St. Pierre had advanced into the semifinals by winning Heat 3 of Friday's first round with a time of 4:11.78. Click Here to read that recap.
U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field – Schedule
U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field – Results
U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field – TV Schedule
Purrier St. Pierre's semifinal time of 4:09.18 was seventh fastest overall in the field of 24 semifinalists.
Running out of position seven in Heat 1, Purrier St. Pierre surged to the outside shoulder of the leader in the early stages and led the way with a 1:11.83 split in the opening 400m. She remained ahead of the pack in 2:20.92 at 800m and then broke away from the pack with a 1:02.70 third quarter-mile for a 1,200m split of 3:23.62. Purrier St. Pierre maintained her lead down the final straightaway to cruise into the finals.
Earlier this year (May 9), she won the 1,500m at the USA Track & Field Golden Games with the world's fastest time of the year in 3:58.34.
One week later, Purrier St. Pierre ran a sub-2 minute 800m with a time of 1:59.99. She is also entered at the U.S. trials in the 800m, which starts June 24.
Purrier St. Pierre was an 11-time All-American and 17-time America East champion across UNH's cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field teams; she was the NCAA national champion in the mile at the 2018 indoor meet.
She also excelled in the classroom by completing a double major of Nutrition: Wellness and EcoGastronomy in May 2018 with a 3.71 cumulative grade point average.
Purrier St. Pierre swept the America East conference Scholar-Athlete season awards for women's cross country, women's indoor track & field and women's outdoor track & field in both the 2016-17 and 2027-18 academic years. She was also named the America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year both years.
Purrier St. Pierre holds six individual records and is part of four record relays in the UNH record book. On the indoor leaderboard, she is at the top of the list in the 800 meters (2:03.64), 1,000m (2:46.02), mile (4:26.55) and 3,000m (8:55.68); she is also part of the record distance medley relay team. On the outdoor leaderboard, she is the top 'Cat in the 1,500m (4:10.08) and steeplechase (9:43.65), as well as the sprint medley, 4x800m and 4x1,500m relays; she also graduated as the UNH record holder in the 800m.
Her name in more than the school's record book. At the 2020 Millrose Games, Purrier St. Pierre ran the second-fastest women's indoor mile in history and broke a 37-year old American record with a time of 4:16.85. And in February 2021, she broke the American indoor 2-mile record in 9:10.28.
In the 2017 cross country season at UNH, Purrier St. Pierre won her third America East individual title to lead the Wildcats to a fifth consecutive team title; she went on to repeat as NCAA Northeast Regional champion, was named Regional Runner of the Year and placed 18th at the NCAA Championships.
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