April 14, 2005

LOUDONVILLE, NY- Siena College announced the Leo Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month Award winners for the month of March today. Seniors Jeremy Youngs (Boonville, NY) and Katie Cruger (Cortlandt Manor, NY) were honored for their excellence in both athletics and academics.

Youngs, a marketing and management major is a member of the Saints men's golf team. Youngs possesses one of the top short games on the team and off the links serves as a tutor for the Saints Supporting Saints program, where he tutors fellow student-athletes. In the classroom, Youngs holds a 3.44 cumulative GPA. Youngs is a co-captain this season, providing leadership to a team looking to improve upon its MAAC runner-up finish last season. At the George Washington Invitational, Youngs carded an 89, which placed him 116th amongst a group of competitive golfers.

"Jeremy has the qualities of an ideal student athlete," said head coach Tom Wronowski. "He is a hard worker both in the classroom and on the greens."

As a marketing and management major, Cruger holds a 3.51 GPA. Cruger is a senior defensive wing on the women's lacrosse team who was named the Most Improved Player last season. This year, the team and coaching staff named her co-captain, a leadership role she shares with teammate Mary Behr. On the season, Cruger has received the starting nod in all 11 games, tallying nine ground balls, forcing two turnovers and winning the draw control twice.

"It's a great honor for Katie, she has been a leader both on and off the field", said head coach Jake McHerron. "She's a great role model to our younger student athletes."

The Leo Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month Award is presented nine times annually.