University of New Hampshire Athletics
Purrier St. Pierre Qualifies for 2024 Olympics in the 1,500 Meter
6/30/2024 9:05:00 PM | General, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
EUGENE, Oreg. – Elle Purrier St. Pierre, a 2018 University of New Hampshire graduate and Class of 2024 Hall of Fame inductee, ran a personal-best time of 3 minutes, 55.99 seconds in the 1,500 meter final at the track & field U.S. Olympic Team Trials to qualify for her second event at the 2024 Olympics. The 1,500m final was held Sunday at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.
Purrier St. Pierre, who had already qualified for the 2024 Olympics as the national champion of the 5,000m on June 24, shattered the 1,500m U.S. Olympic Team Trials record time of 3:58.03 that she set at the 2021 meet to finish in third place in this year's trials.
Nikki Hiltz won in a time of 3:55.33 and Emily Mackay edged Purrier St. Pierre at the finish line at 3:55.90. Sunday's final featured four previous Olympians, including Purrier St. Pierre, and three national champions – once again including Purrier St. Pierre – at this distance.
Purrier St. Pierre raced out to the lead from the starter's gun and ran an opening 400m interval of 1:01.19. She continued to lead the pack with splits of 1:04.36 and 1:03.23 in the next two laps. St. Pierre was passed by the surging Hiltz with 50m to go and Mackay edged past the former Wildcat in the last five meters.
Purrier St. Pierre and Mackay finished first and second, respectively, in Thursday's first round with Mackay crossing the finish line .06 behind Purrier St. Pierre, whose time of 4:06.41 was the fastest in the first round. Purrier St. Pierre then pushed through Friday's semifinals with the fifth-fastest time (4:02.14) that was less than one second behind the winner.
Purrier St. Pierre already qualified to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris when she won the 5,000m with a U.S. Olympic Team Trials record time of 14:40.34 on June 24 to become a two-time Olympian.
She had advanced to the 5,000 final by winning Heat 1 on June 21 with the fastest overall time of 15:13.82 in the first round.
Purrier St. Pierre competed in the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Purrier St. Pierre is arguably the most accomplished student-athlete in UNH history. She is an 11-time All-American – including an NCAA national champion – and 17-time America East champion. She was voted UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year in 2018.
She was honored as the America East Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year consecutive years (2016-17 and 2017-18) and was named an America East Scholar Athlete a total of six times – three times as a junior and three more as a senior – because of excellence both in competition and the classroom, where she compiled a 3.71 cumulative GPA while earning a B.S. in Nutrition.
Purrier St. Pierre won the national championship in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March 2018 to become the first UNH track student-athlete and fourth America East track & field athlete to win a national title.
She also raced to 14th place in the 3,000-meter at the 2018 NCAA indoor meet to earn All-America Second Team recognition in that event. Not only was she the first Wildcat to compete in two events at an NCAA Track & Field Championship, she earned All-America status in both.
One month earlier (Feb. '18), she recorded the second-fastest indoor mile time in NCAA history with a time of 4 minutes, 26.55 seconds. That mark remained No. 2 until a year ago and it is currently the fifth fastest.
In cross country, Purrier St. Pierre won three consecutive America East individual titles (2014, 2016, 2017; she redshirted in 2015) and helped New Hampshire win five consecutive conference team titles spanning 2013-17. She was the NCAA Regional individual champion as a junior and senior, and went on to earn All-America recognition each of those years, including seventh place at the 2016 NCAAs.
Purrier St. Pierre has been running professionally since graduating from UNH. She made the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team by winning the 1,500m finals at the track & field U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June 2021 with a time of 3:58.03 that broke a 33-year old record for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Purrier St. Pierre advanced from the first round and then semifinals to the 1,500m Olympic Finals, where she finished in 10th place.
Fast forward to 2024, where Purrier St. Pierre broke the American record for the women's indoor mile (4:16.41) that had stood for more than 37 years and then won the women's 3,000m run at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. It was her first global championship title and the first time a former Wildcat achieved this in the history of UNH athletics. Purrier St. Pierre also set both a North American and championship record with her winning time of 8:20.87.
Purrier St. Pierre, who had already qualified for the 2024 Olympics as the national champion of the 5,000m on June 24, shattered the 1,500m U.S. Olympic Team Trials record time of 3:58.03 that she set at the 2021 meet to finish in third place in this year's trials.
Nikki Hiltz won in a time of 3:55.33 and Emily Mackay edged Purrier St. Pierre at the finish line at 3:55.90. Sunday's final featured four previous Olympians, including Purrier St. Pierre, and three national champions – once again including Purrier St. Pierre – at this distance.
Purrier St. Pierre raced out to the lead from the starter's gun and ran an opening 400m interval of 1:01.19. She continued to lead the pack with splits of 1:04.36 and 1:03.23 in the next two laps. St. Pierre was passed by the surging Hiltz with 50m to go and Mackay edged past the former Wildcat in the last five meters.
Purrier St. Pierre and Mackay finished first and second, respectively, in Thursday's first round with Mackay crossing the finish line .06 behind Purrier St. Pierre, whose time of 4:06.41 was the fastest in the first round. Purrier St. Pierre then pushed through Friday's semifinals with the fifth-fastest time (4:02.14) that was less than one second behind the winner.
Purrier St. Pierre already qualified to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris when she won the 5,000m with a U.S. Olympic Team Trials record time of 14:40.34 on June 24 to become a two-time Olympian.
She had advanced to the 5,000 final by winning Heat 1 on June 21 with the fastest overall time of 15:13.82 in the first round.
Purrier St. Pierre competed in the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Purrier St. Pierre is arguably the most accomplished student-athlete in UNH history. She is an 11-time All-American – including an NCAA national champion – and 17-time America East champion. She was voted UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year in 2018.
She was honored as the America East Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year consecutive years (2016-17 and 2017-18) and was named an America East Scholar Athlete a total of six times – three times as a junior and three more as a senior – because of excellence both in competition and the classroom, where she compiled a 3.71 cumulative GPA while earning a B.S. in Nutrition.
Purrier St. Pierre won the national championship in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March 2018 to become the first UNH track student-athlete and fourth America East track & field athlete to win a national title.
She also raced to 14th place in the 3,000-meter at the 2018 NCAA indoor meet to earn All-America Second Team recognition in that event. Not only was she the first Wildcat to compete in two events at an NCAA Track & Field Championship, she earned All-America status in both.
One month earlier (Feb. '18), she recorded the second-fastest indoor mile time in NCAA history with a time of 4 minutes, 26.55 seconds. That mark remained No. 2 until a year ago and it is currently the fifth fastest.
In cross country, Purrier St. Pierre won three consecutive America East individual titles (2014, 2016, 2017; she redshirted in 2015) and helped New Hampshire win five consecutive conference team titles spanning 2013-17. She was the NCAA Regional individual champion as a junior and senior, and went on to earn All-America recognition each of those years, including seventh place at the 2016 NCAAs.
Purrier St. Pierre has been running professionally since graduating from UNH. She made the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team by winning the 1,500m finals at the track & field U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June 2021 with a time of 3:58.03 that broke a 33-year old record for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Purrier St. Pierre advanced from the first round and then semifinals to the 1,500m Olympic Finals, where she finished in 10th place.
Fast forward to 2024, where Purrier St. Pierre broke the American record for the women's indoor mile (4:16.41) that had stood for more than 37 years and then won the women's 3,000m run at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. It was her first global championship title and the first time a former Wildcat achieved this in the history of UNH athletics. Purrier St. Pierre also set both a North American and championship record with her winning time of 8:20.87.
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