University of New Hampshire Athletics
6/21/2021 8:45:00 PM | General, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field, Men's Cross Country
EUGENE, Ore. – Elle Purrier St. Pierre, a 2018 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, made the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team by finishing first in Monday's 1,500-meter finals at the track & field U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field.
Purrier St. Pierre led the race from starting gun to finish line in a personal best time of 3 minutes, 58.03 seconds that also broke the 33-year old record for the U.S. Olympic Trials. She advances to the Tokyo Olympics, which are July 23-August 8.
On June 19, Purrier St. Pierre won Heat 1 of the two semifinals with a time of 4:09.18 to automatically advance to the finals. Click here to read that recap.
Purrier St. Pierre had advanced into the semifinals by winning Heat 3 of the June 18 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
In Monday's final, runners jostling for position in the opening meters of the race bumped Purrier St. Pierre off the track temporarily, but she recovered quickly and moved to the front of the pack. She led the way with a 400m split of 1:04.79 and ran a slightly faster next quarter-mile (in 1:04.41) for an 800m split of 2:09.19.
Purrier St. Pierre improved to a 1:02.21 in the next 400m as she and Cory McGee began separation from the pack with a 1,200m split of 3:11.41. She pulled away from McGee in the final lap to cross the finish line in 3:58.03 to break the mark of 3:58.92 established by Mary Slaney in July 1988.
Purrier St. Pierre becomes the fifth Wildcat with a tie to the UNH track & field program to represent the United States at the Olympics. Richmond "Boo" Morcom '47 competed in the pole vault in the 1948 Olympics, Jeffrey Bannister '70 represented Team USA in the decathlon at the 1972 games, Joanne Dow '86 competed in the race walk at the 2008 Olympics and Clare Egan '11 (MA) went on to compete in the biathlon in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
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.
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 led the race from starting gun to finish line in a personal best time of 3 minutes, 58.03 seconds that also broke the 33-year old record for the U.S. Olympic Trials. She advances to the Tokyo Olympics, which are July 23-August 8.
On June 19, Purrier St. Pierre won Heat 1 of the two semifinals with a time of 4:09.18 to automatically advance to the finals. Click here to read that recap.
Purrier St. Pierre had advanced into the semifinals by winning Heat 3 of the June 18 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
In Monday's final, runners jostling for position in the opening meters of the race bumped Purrier St. Pierre off the track temporarily, but she recovered quickly and moved to the front of the pack. She led the way with a 400m split of 1:04.79 and ran a slightly faster next quarter-mile (in 1:04.41) for an 800m split of 2:09.19.
Purrier St. Pierre improved to a 1:02.21 in the next 400m as she and Cory McGee began separation from the pack with a 1,200m split of 3:11.41. She pulled away from McGee in the final lap to cross the finish line in 3:58.03 to break the mark of 3:58.92 established by Mary Slaney in July 1988.
Purrier St. Pierre becomes the fifth Wildcat with a tie to the UNH track & field program to represent the United States at the Olympics. Richmond "Boo" Morcom '47 competed in the pole vault in the 1948 Olympics, Jeffrey Bannister '70 represented Team USA in the decathlon at the 1972 games, Joanne Dow '86 competed in the race walk at the 2008 Olympics and Clare Egan '11 (MA) went on to compete in the biathlon in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
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.
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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