UConn hosting Big East Championships

Men’s, women’s programs favorites to win team titles

STORRS — The first thing Patricia Mroczkowski did after clearing the 6-foot mark in the high jump competition at LSU’s Joe May Invitational in early April was run over to her

UConn track and field teammates and embrace them in pure excitement.

Clearing 6-feet had been her goal since her senior year at Berlin High. It was still her goal as her freshman season at UConn was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it remained her motivation even when her own battle with COVID resulted in a sixmonth fight with myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle. Last year she could hardly walk two flights of stairs without heart palpitations. She wore a heart monitor and visited the hospital monthly to help manage her increased heart rate.

“It was pretty awful, like I just thought that I was never really gonna progress and I was having everything chop up my seasons,” Mroczkowski said Monday.

The 2022 season is the first time during her college career that Mroczkowski feels herself. She’s healthier and has found ways to manage the lasting effects of myocarditis without having to take time off from track.

“I just really had to think like, ‘This is my whole life, basically.’ I really care about track to my core and it’s something that’s really important to me and I can’t really be down on myself. I also have teammates that look up to me,” she said. “It’s always been so frustrating because all I’ve wanted to do is prove myself and coming to school for track, like all I’ve wanted to do is improve as an athlete.”

The junior leads the Big East in high jump and is the favorite

UConn Athletics / Contributed photo Mia Nahom, left, broke the school record in the women’s 5000 meters with a time of 16 minutes, 35 seconds in April.