Sarah Poirier Class: Freshman Hometown: Wausau, Wis. High School: Wausau West Position: XC/Distance Experience: FR/FR

Assistant Coach Mike Nelson on Poirier:
"Sarah also has a family connection to MU. Both of Sarah's parents went to MU and her father also attended MU Law. Sarah was a state medalist at the Wisconsin Division 1 cross country championships and she also led her 4x800 team to a third-place finish at the state track and field championships. I believe Sarah will make immediate contributions in the longer events here at MU. She's not afraid to tackle the 5k and 10k on the track. Not only is Sarah an outstanding athlete, she was also valedictorian of her senior class."

High School: Poirier earned four letters in cross country and three in track and field at Wausau West High School ... Left Wausau West as the school's record holder in cross country (4K: 14:58; 5K: 19:09), the 3,200-meter run and the two mile (indoor: 11:18; outdoor: 11:17) ... Served as cross country team captain as both a junior and senior, while helping the Warriors to sectional and conference championships as a senior ... Led West to three WIAA State Cross Country meets her last three seasons, while earning honorable mention all-state honors with a 20th-place finish at the state meet as a senior ... Four-time all-conference and academic all-state performer in cross country ... State track meet qualifier in the 4x800-meter relay as a sophomore and in the 3,200-meter run and 4x800 relay as a junior ... Captured sectional title in the two mile and 4x800 relay as a junior ... Won the conference championship in the indoor mile and two mile as a senior ... Two-time all-conference track and field performer ... Earned four letters in hockey with the Central Wisconsin Storm (students from Wausau East, West, D.C. Everest and Mosinee), claiming a state championship as a senior and runner-up honors as a junior ... Ended career sixth on the Storm's all-time scoring list with 92 points ... Also earned one letter in soccer as a freshman ... Class valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a member of the National Honor Society ... Winner of the Gold Award for Wausau West academics as a senior ... Rotary Club Student of the Month (Dec. 2011), WIAA Scholar-Athlete nominee and Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship finalist ... Actively involved in volunteer work with Wausau Aspirus Hospital, Special Olympics, Jubilee House, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church and the Salvation Army.

Personal: Poirier was born in Milwaukee to Rich and Jane Poirier ... Has two older brothers, Rich and Robert, and a younger sister, Claire ... Both parents attended Marquette ... Brother, Rich, played football at Colby College, while Robert plays lacrosse at Richmond ... Lists brothers as academic and athletic inspiration ... Favorite pro sports teams are the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Red Wings ... Plans to major in biology and Spanish.