Meridian Bremel came to the attention of Upper Valley sports fans as the goaltender on Woodstock High’s 2022 and 2023 Vermont Division II champion girls hockey teams.
The Wasps were a combined 34-5 during those seasons and Bremel followed that up with a 1.52 goals-against average as a senior in 2024. The Reading, Vt., resident then headed to Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y., a two-hour drive southeast of Buffalo. The Saxons compete at the NCAA Division III level.
While studying at a 1,600-student school, Bremel has transitioned from stopping objects to hurling them. The sophomore set the school record in the discus this spring with a throw of 131 feet, 8 inches, impressive progression from an athlete who won the 2022 Vermont Division III title in that event.
“You don’t have all the roaring and cheering from fans in track but it definitely gets competitive among the throwers, especially when there’s centimeters between placing,” said 5-foot-6, 160-pound Bremel, who also played on the line and was a co-captain for Woodstock’s football team. The 20-year old dedicates up to four hours a day for indoor track practice during the winter and outdoor track workouts during the spring.
Bremel began playing hockey when she was 5, football when she was 8 and track and field when she entered high school. She also competes for Alfred’s Western equestrian riding team, continuing a long-held love for horses. Life as a three-sport athlete doesn’t leave time for much else.
“It’s a big commitment but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Bremel, while admitting she’s battled burnout at times. “I’ve met so many amazing people and made so many friendships. It’s a super cool crew that we’ve built and we get to support each other and share each other’s victories.”
Alfred’s women’s track team finished seventh out of nine schools at its indoor and outdoor conference championships this year but Bremel was fourth in the discus at the latter. She’s increased her throws in the event by more than 40 feet and Saxons coach Matt Phillips is bullish on her potential.
“She’s always engaged and happy and taking in what our coaches are saying,” Phillips said. “Being in a positive state of mind means she’s open and willing to learn.”
There’s more to grasp about throwing the discus than first meets the eye. An athlete must master specific movements for the feet, legs, torso and arms, along with the correct grip and release. It makes learning to hit a golf ball off a tee seem simple, yet Bremel has moved into the top eight performers in a region that includes New England, New York and Pennsylvania.
“With two years left, she’s going to get stronger and fine-tune her release,” Phillips said. “There should be a lot more progression left.”
Bremel isn’t adverse to learning new sports or roles within them. She began hockey as a forward before switching to goaltender at age 14. And although she’d only been on a horse a handful of times, she joined Alfred’s riding program and shows the beasts while wearing bejeweled dress shirts in her school’s colors of purple and gold.
Competitors don’t get to pick their horse, being assigned one randomly before shows. Often, it’s a mount the rider has never worked with before. Points are awarded based on a student’s posture, command and how well horse and human perform various patterns in a dirt-floored arena.
“I was so nervous for my first show,” said Bremel, who took the school’s introductory riding class and practices at least twice a week. “But I’ve learned so much about riding and showmanship.”
A biology major with an animal sciences concentration, Bremel originally planned on attending veterinary school but says she’s now leaning towards studying equine and bovine genetics.
She works on a dairy farm when home for the summers and owns two cows of her own, Ford and Ranger. The labor strengthens her muscles needed for sporting competition and creates a bond with the types of animals she’d like to work with as a professional.
“I pay to board them at a friend’s house with a big pasture,” said Bremel, whose right bicep is encircled by a barbed wire tattoo that partially pays homage to her love of cattle. “Two thousand-pound cows don’t fit so well in dorm rooms.”
After her Alfred graduation, Bremel plans on attending graduate school for animal reproduction, possibly at Texas A&M or Colorado State.
“I’d love to eventually live out west,” she said. “Maybe in Montana.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at ctwykes@aol.com.