WASHINGTON – A pair of former Georgetown University student-athletes were tabbed as honorees by the Lead1 Association for the Top 25 Congressional Staff Student-Athletes on the Hill Contest. Mark Dennin, who ran cross country and track & field for the Blue & Gray, as well as Lauren Gros, who was a member of the women's golf team, were both recognized at the LEAD1 Congressional Luncheon on September 26th in conjunction with the LEAD1 annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
 
Dennin graduated from Georgetown in 2012 with a degree in government and earned his Master's in journalism from Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies in 2013. During his senior year on the Hilltop, Dennin earned All-America honors at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meter run, posting the fourth-best time in Georgetown track & field history in that event. Prior to that, he won the same event at the 2012 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. The Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania native currently works as a policy aide for Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in Washington, D.C.
 
Gros, a 2018 graduate from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, is serving on the congressional staff of Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA). As a senior, she carded the team's fourth-best individual round of the year, firing a 2-under par 70 in the second round of the Edwin Watts / Kiawah Island Spring Classic. Gros was GU's top finisher at the 2017 BIG EAST Championship, tying for second in the individual standings to lead the Hoyas to the program's first ever BIG EAST title. She earned BIG EAST All-Tournament Team honors and was part of the lineup at the NCAA Lubbock Regional, Georgetown's first NCAA Championship appearance.
Among those selected for the Top 25 contest, 60-percent received All-Conference, All-Region or All-America honors. The list boasts conference and national champions, both in team and individual sports, school record holders, and medalists in Olympic sports. Off the playing field and court, the honorees carried all-league academic honors, numerous conference scholar-athlete selections, and Google Cloud Academic All-District® accolades.
 
"We are pleased to honor Congressional staff members who are former collegiate student-athletes," LEAD1 President and CEO Tom McMillen said. "This elite group received top academic and athletic honors at their respective institutions. We look forward to recognizing the honorees on Capitol Hill on Wednesday."
 
Congressional offices were surveyed for nominations, and top selections were made by current and former leaders in Congress who were college student-athletes. The contest was open to candidates of all NCAA divisions as well as all Congressional staff positions. For the second consecutive year, athletics directors from the Association and various members of Congress who represent LEAD1 institutions will meet on Capitol Hill for a Congressional Luncheon. Last year, the Association honored 50-plus members of Congress who were former student-athletes.