Brooke Feldmeier runs at the Ole Miss Track and Field at the 2015 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lexington, KY. Photo by Joshua McCoy | Ole Miss Athletics
Far away from her home in Olympia, Washington, freshman track-star Brooke Feldmeier has made herself right at home at Ole Miss. In just her first season as a Rebel, Brooke has already left a mark on the program.
After breaking the Ole Miss 800-meter record at the Virginia Challenge last week, Feldmeier has been named Southeastern Conference Women’s Freshman of the Week.
Feldmeier set the school record at 2:05.29 in her collegiate outdoor debut at 800 meters. She placed second among 68 runners in Charlottesville, which featured a number of top-ranked teams. She also broke the Ole Miss 600-meter record earlier this year at 1:28.42.
The previous school record of 2:06.24 by Sherlonda Johnson had stood since the 1997 SEC Championships, not long after Feldmeier’s first birthday.
This is the first SEC weekly honor for Feldmeier, who was recognized as the 2015 SEC Women’s Indoor Runner of the Year after a breathtaking performance at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational in late January. Feldmeier clocked what was then the No. 1 time in the nation in the 800m and moved herself into second place on the school’s all-time indoor 800m list.
She was runner-up at the Indoor SEC Championships with a school-record time of 2:04.34 and did so by flying from sixth place to second during the final lap of the race.
The SEC coaches voted Feldmeier the SEC Women’s Freshman Athlete of the Year.
Brooke’s work ethic and dedication make her one of the elite runners in the nation. Her constant drive along with her determination for excellence is what caught the eye of Ole Miss head coach Brian O’Neal when he recruited her. With 39 other track scholarship offers, her decision to become a Rebel was an honor for the Ole Miss track program.
Describing her as a “naturally motivated young lady,” O’Neal said that her effort has never been an aspect of her running that he has had to coach.
“One thing I really have to do as a coach is hold Brooke back a little bit. She wants to go hard every single day, every single rep,” O’Neal said. “I’ve had to tell her that there is only so much the body can handle. She’s beginning to understand that.”
“However, the one thing I never want to hold back from Brooke is competing with passion. Anyone that has ever seen her race knows that she does just that, and she does not like losing,” O’Neal added. “That’s the number one characteristic that it takes to be a star. You have to be willing to put in the work and not take any short cuts, and that’s exactly what Brooke Feldmeier brings to this team.”
Feldmeier said she believes her success on the track is more than just physical fitness and pure ability. Talent and effort are impossible to coach. Those are qualities that athletes have to find in themselves. They have to crave improvement and never settle for mediocracy. Feldmeier knows that having a champion’s mentality is one of the hardest parts of her game.
“It’s definitely the mental aspect of it. Track is mind over matter for sure, and we have to be positive in everything we do,” Feldmeier said. “We have to always keep in mind who we represent everyday, and give 100% effort in all that we do. I try not to take days off. I eat right, and I try to get enough sleep. I want to do everything the right way because every little thing you do affects your track performance.”
Despite the hours of grueling practice and hardcore training she puts in, the transition to independent college life has been a smooth one for Feldmeier. An integrated marketing communications major with a business administration minor, Feldmeier had a 4.0 grade point average during her first semester at Ole Miss. It seems that there is nothing Brooke can’t accomplish.
“I think it is exciting what I have accomplished now, but it is just the beginning for me,” Feldmeier said about her future goals. “I want to run for a really long time. Most 800m runners don’t peak until their mid-twenties, so I believe there is a lot of room for improvement.”
The possibilities seem endless for the young track stand-out. With another three track seasons ahead of her, it will be exciting to sit back and watch her make history.
