For senior McKenna Braegelmann, a standout pitcher for The University of San Diego’s softball program, this upcoming season is one that will be celebrated for numerous reasons. Her path to get to this point has been filled with an incredible amount of challenge. At age 14, while pitching in an international tournament, she took a line drive to the side of her head, resulting in a skull fracture and a brain bleed. Her recovery from this incident was remarkably quick and she was back to playing ball in a matter of a couple of weeks.
Shortly after her incident on the mound at age 14, McKenna began experiencing PTSD, flashbacks, and panic attacks while still playing competitively and recruiting to play softball at the next level. Extremely high-functioning in every sense of the word, she kept private about her struggles as her and her parents navigated an area they were foreign with. Her first year of college would prove to be a saving grace as well as a dramatic drop for her. Her collegiate coach stepped in and suggested a visit with their team psychologist, marking the beginning of a healing process for McKenna that would be ripe with numerous ups and downs. McKenna had been dealing with so much privately as a young student athlete and her bottom point arrived when she begin having suicidal ideations as another level of the mental side of things that she was coping with.
McKenna is now looking forward to a season of promise and hope as she takes the mound for USD this spring. The years prior to this final season have led her down a deep well of healing and vulnerability and her commitment to speaking out on mental health and advocating for this important subject is such a gift. Through the challenging dark times, McKenna has grown in to a powerful and inspirational young woman who is determined to move beyond and be the best version of herself that she can bring to this world. She is a true warrior on all fronts!
Everyone has a story, and every story matters!
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