From the Frederick News-Post.
Hood College alumna and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Crystal Griner was honored Saturday with a Hood Presidential Medal of Obligation, a new award that coincides with the college’s 125th Homecoming weekend.
Griner, who graduated from Hood in 2006, was one of the officers to respond to a June 14 shooting at a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia. She was shot in the ankle as she and fellow officers engaged gunman James T. Hodgkinson, who opened fire on Republican lawmakers.
Clad in a blue blazer — and assisted by a pair of crutches — Griner walked onstage in Hood’s Hodson Auditorium to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Hood president Andrea Chapdelaine presented the award, intended for an individual or organization who embodies one of the college’s four most valued traits: hope, opportunity, obligation or democracy.
“The class of 1917 defined obligation as filling personal and professional obligations with integrity,” Chapdelaine said during the ceremony. “I think you’ll all agree that no one is more deserving of the President’s Medal of Obligation.”
Griner was not able to provide comment, according to Meg DePanise, a spokeswoman for the college. She was the first-ever recipient of the award.
Griner, 32, majored in biology and played guard on the Hood basketball team, according to previous reporting from The Frederick News-Post. She was named Rookie of the Year as a freshman, according to a player profile provided by Hood.
Previously, Griner graduated from Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City and was a National Honor Society member. She and her wife currently live in Gwynn Oak, according to reporting from the Baltimore Sun.
For her response to the shooting — which also injured fellow officer David Bailey, Rep. Steve Scalise, congressional aide Zachary Barth and lobbyist Matt Mika — Griner was awarded a Medal of Valor from President Donald Trump.
On Saturday, she also received special recognition from Taylor Donoghue, a representative for Congressman John Delaney, and County Executive Jan Gardner.
