Essex's Poirier won the 800 at New Englands in rare Vermont performance. We explain why.

Essex High School's Kelton Poirier forced himself to become a more patient runner during the 2023 season.

Once he did, the potential was unlocked: Last month, the junior blew away the Vermont 800-meter run state record by nearly two seconds.

"I trusted myself, trusted the kick," Poirier said.

And this past Saturday, Poirier banked on his trademark closing speed for another eye-opening milestone.

Charging from fifth on the final turn, Poirier galloped home to edge fellow Vermonter, St. Johnsbury's Andrew Thornton-Sherman, to claim the 800 at the New England track and field championships in Bangor, Maine.

Thornton-Sherman took runner-up honors in 1:53.24 and Champlain Valley's Matthew Servin placed fourth (1:54.40) for a remarkable 1-2-4 placement, a trio of podium finishes rarely pulled off by Vermont athletes.

[Editor's note: Read on below for more on that historical context and a list of all-time VT winners at N.E.].

Poirier ran a negative split — his second lap was faster than his first by about two seconds — to record a 1 minute, 52.92 second 800 for the New England crown.

"It’s something I’ve been stressing over a ton. This win was huge for me," Poirier said in a phone interview Monday. "This was a meet that meant a lot to me."

The dual between Poirier and Thornton-Sherman was the rubber match of 2023. Thornton-Sherman out-kicked Poirier at the South Burlington Twilight meet in early May. Then at the Essex Invitational, Poirier roared way back to return the favor with both runners eclipsing the old state record of 1:54.01 (going 1:52.38 to 1:52.55).

"(Thornton-Sherman) has one of the strongest kicks I've ever raced against," Poirier said. "(Essex Invitational) gave me a lot of confidence going into this weekend."

Poirier, Thornton-Sherman, Servin and other qualifying Vermonters will head to Philadelphia later this week for New Balance Nationals.

Putting the Poirier-led 800 into VT perspective

A Vermonter winning an event at New Englands is not commonplace in the 76-year history of the regional meet. Poirier is the 33rd Vermont boy to become a New England champion; 22 Vermont girls plus three relay teams can make the same claim.

But multiple Green Mountain State athletes placing in the same event in the same year is even more rare. Thanks to a database of all-time results and recent meets posted on the New England principals' association website, figuring out how Vermonters have fared at the regional meet takes only working knowledge of using Excel.

[Editor's note: Pavel Dvorak of 802timing.com emailed the results database to the Free Press in 2018, and stated Rhode Island track official Keith Lawton was a big reason for its existence].

The Poirier-led 1-2-4 finish in the 800 is just the third time Vermont's had at least three boys earn podium finishes (top-six placement) in the same event at New Englands. Vermont girls have accomplished that feat on six occasions, all between the years of 1979-1987.

The list of Vermonters in this exclusive club are:

1951: Lyndon's Ray Allard won pole vault (11-11), with teammate Bob Bourissee taking second, Springfield's Bernard fourth and Burlington's Dick Detore fifth.

1982: Rutland's Matt Rushford and Bellows Falls' Russ Nauceder tied for the win in the 300 hurdles (40.1) and Mount Anthony's Gary Capriola finished fifth.

1979: The South Burlington girls' 440-yard relay team of Sara Houghaboom, Amy Vaudreuil, Cheryl Hurtubise, Laurie Provencher won in 51.2.

1982: Rutland's Eileen Ellig led a 1-3-6 finish in the 1,600 (4:59.1), followed by Burr and Burton's Gretchen Lewis and Putney's Liz Derector.

1982: The Rutland girls' 4x400 relay of Ellig, Tricia McCaffrey, Judy Bisson and Karen Markowski) won in 4:05.4. CVU and Hartford went fifth and sixth, respectively.

1983: In discus, Burr and Burton's Jennifer Roosevelt was third, Burlington's Cindi Parent fourth and Carol Weston tied for sixth.

1986: Mount Abraham's Weston won discus (135-7) for a 1-2-3 Vermont finish with Burlington's Tricia Casey and Essex's Kristine Isham in the next two spots.

1987: Essex's Isham captured discus in 138-9. Burlington's Christine Emmons and Casey were third and sixth, respectively.

Colchester's Gilfillan sets 200 state record; other VT standouts

The Colchester duo of freshman Brinlee Gilfillan and senior Ryleigh Garrow were among Vermont’s other standout performances besides the boys 800 trio during Saturday’s New England meet.

Gilfillan raced to fourth-place finishes in the 100 (12.25) and 200 (24.89), with the latter performance resetting the Division I and overall state record. South Burlington’s Mollie Gribbin previously held the D-I mark (2012) while Hannah Merriam of Peoples (D-III) had owned the overall state mark for the last nine years.

Garrow, meanwhile, sped to fourth in the 100 hurdles (14.96) and bounded 36-5.5 in triple jump for a sixth-place showing.

Burlington’s Winslow Sightler produced a pair of thirds in shot put (57-11.5) and discus (171-9), the latter with a personal-best heave by 10 feet.

Essex’s Scarlett Stimson also laid down a PR, seizing runner-up in the 800 (2:13.59), while also running a leg on the Hornets’ fifth-place 4x400 relay squad with teammates Genevieve Brzoza, Sarah Hall and Elizabeth Orvis.

MMU’s Samantha Alexander captured fourth in discus with a throw of 130 feet.

Other Vermonters who shined include:

• Anita Miller of White River Valley finished seventh in the 1,600 (5:05.36), and Tess Drury was also seventh in the 3,200 (11:13).

• Essex’s Tess Adams took seventh in discus (122-8) and 10th in shot put (36-0.5).

• The Essex 4x100 relay squad of Grace Filan, Ashley Clark, Brzoza and Sara Sinkewicz ran to eighth (49.63).

• MMU’s Raf Campanile (13-3) and Owen Moriarty (12-6) placed eighth and ninth, respectively in pole vault, while teammate Avery Gilbert nabbed 10th in the 300 hurdles (40.43).

• The SJA 4x4800 team of Nathaniel Bernier, Carson Eames, Ryan Callaghan and Charlie Krebs seized 10th (8:16.88).

• Hartford’s Ayodele Lowe was 10th in long jump (21-2).

• The U-32 4x800 relay of Ginger Long, Amy Felice, Jane Miller-Arsenault and Madison Beaudoin finished 10th (9:55.98).

• Mount Anthony’s Ella Palisano jumped 5 feet in high jump to place eighth.

All-time list of Vermont champions at New Englands

Girls event winners (since 1978)

1978: Middlebury's Jane Panicucci in the 100 yards (11.4 seconds).

1978: Mount Abraham's Julie Dion in the mile (5:11).

1979: South Burlington's Sara Houghaboom, Amy Vaudreuil, Cheryl Hurtubise, Laurie Provencher in the 440-yard relay (51.2).

1980: Rice's Shelly Goddette in javelin (144-10).

1982: Rutland's Eileen Ellig in the 1,600 (4:59.1).

1982: Rutland's Tricia McCaffrey, Eileen Ellig, Judy Bisson, Karen Markowski in the 4x400 relay (4:05.4).

1983: Rutland's Eileen Ellig in the 1,600 (4:54.2).

1984: Rutland's Eileen Ellig in the 1,600 (4:53.8).

1985: Rutland's Eileen Ellig in the 1,600 (4:47.3) and the 3,200 (10:32.6).

1985: Mount Abraham's Carol Weston in discus (127-3).

1985: Essex's Danielle Pheeney in javelin (160-4).

1986: Mount Abraham's Carol Weston in discus (135-7).

1987: Essex's Kristine Isham in discus (138-9) and shot put (41-2).

1987: Burlington's Donna Gerace in the 400 (56.82).

1988: Essex's Kristine Isham in discus (133-6).

1990: Mount Abraham's Cathy Steady in discus (130-2).

1994: Hartford's Beth Perkins in discus (129-1).

1996: Hartford's Beth Perkins in discus (138-3).

1996: Brattleboro's Heather Pancake in javelin (139-1).

1997: U-32's Cheryl Miller in discus (129-1).

1997: Rutland's Beth Pratico in high jump (5-6).

1997: Bellows Falls' Regan Coffey in the 200 (25.92).

1997: Mount Mansfield's Erin Sullivan in the 1,600 (4:58.48).

1998: U-32's Cheryl Miller in discus (149-9).

1998: Essex's Megan Malgeri in the 1,600 (5:04.37).

1999: Bellows Falls' Sara Lovell in shot put (43-2.5).

2004: Fair Haven's Mary Heitkamp in the 800 (2:12.14).

2011: South Burlington's Mollie Gribbin, Amanda Arena, Sara Garvey, Carly Stine in the 4x100 relay (49.30).

2012: South Burlington's Mollie Gribbin in triple jump (39-4.75).

2013: Colchester's Pearl Abiti (37-5).

2016: Windsor's Katey Comstock in discus (127-7).

2018: U-32's Molly McCreedy in shot put (45-8.25).

Boys event winners (since 1946)

1946: Burlington's Luther Reynolds in 100 yards (10.3).

1949: Springfield's Rene LaPlante in pole vault (11-2, tie).

1951: Lyndon's Ray Allard in pole vault (11-11).

1953: Burlington's Peter Upton in discus (134-4).

1964: Bellows Falls' Ed Cray in 220 yards (21.8).

1970: Middlebury's Sheehan in pole vault (13-6).

1971: Burlington's Chris Peisch in the two mile (9:24.7).

1972: Burlington's Guy Leadbetter in pole vault (13-8).

1973: Burlington's Guy Leadbetter in pole vault (13-6).

1976: St. Johnsbury's Chris Watkins in 100 yards (9.9).

1976: Rutland's Joe MacLellan in the 220 yards (22.5).

1977: St. Johnsbury's Pearson in triple jump (45-10.75).

1977: Rutland's Joe MacLellan in the 220 yards (22.4).

1978: Montpelier's Frank Rucker in pole vault (13-3).

1980: Lamoille's David Gomes in long jump (22-5).

1982: Rutland's Matt Rushford, Bellows Falls' Russ Nauceder in 300 hurdles (40.1).

1984: Bellows Falls' Fred Waryas in pole vault (13-0).

1985: Burlington's Steve Yates in discus (167-1).

1985: Essex's Garrett Velasquez in triple jump (44-5.75).

1986: Burlington's Steve Yates in shot put (57-10.5) and discus (181-8).

1986: Fred Waryas in pole vault (13-6).

1987: Burlington's Steve Yates in discus (184-3).

1987: Bellows Falls' Michael Bruso in pole vault (12-6).

1987: South Burlington's Hiroshi Andrews in the 300 hurdles (38.6).

1988: Essex's Jason Lang in discus (160-8).

1989: Essex's Jason Lang in discus (166-4).

1993: North Country's Andy Oliver in javelin (199-9).

1997: Bellows Falls' Chris Tomberg in javelin (194-7).

1999: Fair Haven's Michael Heitkamp in javelin (196-6).

2003: Rutland's Devin Riley in the 800 (1:56.97).

2006: St. Johnsbury's Garrett Calkins in javelin (189-6).

2006: Brattleboro's Jordan Peeples in the 3,200 (9:21.96).

2007: Lamoille's David Kennedy in the 400 (48.55).

2009: Springfield's Michael Pianka in high jump (6-7).

2012: St. Johnsbury's Elijah Doerfler in javelin (185-10).

2014: MMU's Alec Eschholz in the 300 hurdles (38.54).

2015: MMU's Alec Eschholz in the 300 hurdles (37.70).

2019: Colchester's George Cummings in the 300 hurdles (38.00).

2023: Essex's Kelton Poirier in the 800 (1:52.92).

Become a member of the Vermont Varsity Insider Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2MGSfvX.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: New England track and field meet: Essex's Kelton Poirier wins 800