WASHINGTON – The LEAD1 Association, which represents the athletic directors of the 130-member schools of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is proud to announce the honorees for the Top 25 Congressional Staff Student-Athletes on the Hill Contest. The contest winners will be recognized at the LEAD1 Congressional Luncheon on September 26 in conjunction with the LEAD1 annual meeting in Washington.
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.
The Top 25 honorees are:
| Name | School | Sport | Current Position |
| Carly Atchison | American | Field Hockey | Communications Director, Rep. Tom Emmer |
| Will Batson | North Alabama | Football, Baseball | Legislative Assistant, Sen. Ted Cruz |
| Derek Chancellor | South Dakota | Football | Legislative Correspondent, Sen. John Thune |
| Mark Dennin | Georgetown | XC/Track & Field | Policy Aide, Sen. Claire McCaskill |
| Derrick Dockery | Texas | Football | Intergovernmental Outreach Director, Rep. Paul Ryan |
| Anna Catharine Feaster | Davidson | Tennis | Constituent Relations Rep., Sen. Lamar Alexander |
| Joshua Flynn-Brown | Chapman | Basketball | Investigative Counsel, Senate Judiciary Committee |
| Sean Gard | Nebraska | Football | Chief of Staff, Rep. Gwen Moore |
| Lauren Gros | Georgetown | Golf | Scheduler, Rep. Rick Larsen |
| Michael Hudspith | Notre Dame | Swimming & Diving | Staff Assistant, Rep. Rick Larsen |
| Maxwell Huntley | Michigan | Wrestling | Legislative Aide/Press Assistant, Rep. Rob Wittman |
| Kathryn Irwin | Princeton | Crew Team | Correspondence Manager, Sen. Kamala Harris |
| Katie Lingle | South Dakota State | Basketball | Press Secretary, Sen. John Thune |
| Kayla McMurry | Tennessee | Tennis | Legislative Assistant, Sen. Susan Collins |
| Laura Mengelkamp | Wyoming | Golf | Deputy Communications Director, Sen. John Barrasso |
| Andrew Mitchell | TCU | Baseball | Legislative Assistant, Sen. John Cornyn |
| Jackie Modesett | Harvard | Track & Field | Scheduler/Office Manager, Rep. Austin Scott |
| Madeline Morrow | Duke | Track & Field | Legislative Correspondent, Rep. Bob Gibbs |
| Samantha Nelson | Duke | Field Hockey | Professional Staff Member, Senate Appropriations Committee, Financial Services, and General Government Subcommittee |
| Laura O’Hara | Stanford | Track & Field | Senior Historical Web Editor, House Office of the Historian |
| Addie Patterson | Virginia Tech | Swimming & Diving | Legislative Assistant/Press Secretary, Rep. Jeff Duncan |
| Elizabeth Strimer | Marshall | Volleyball | Policy Advisor, Sen. Mitch McConnell |
| Margaret Tucker Fogarty | James Madison | Lacrosse | Staff Assistant, House Committee on Energy and Commerce |
| Becca Ward | Duke | Fencing | Legislative Assistant, Sen. Jeff Markley |
| Abigail Welborn | Virginia | Volleyball | Legislative Assistant, Sen. Tom Cotton |
About the LEAD1 Association: LEAD1 represents the athletics directors of the 131-member universities of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Key to the LEAD1 mission are influencing how the rules of college sports are enacted and implemented, advocating for the future of college athletics, and providing various services to our member schools. For more information, please visit our website at www.LEAD1Association.com.
