March 15, 2006

Siena announced the January and February recipients of the Leo Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month Award today. Women's swimmer Dana Golino and men's golfer Bryan Bigley were named the January winners, while baseball player Gabe Perez and softball sophomore Jennifer Granato were the February recipients.

"All four of these student-athletes have excelled academically while balancing the difficult schedules demanded by their Division I athletic programs," director of athletics John D'Argenio said. "Their commitment to academics and athletics is representative of the Siena student-athlete and they are each very deserving of this honor."

Golino, a senior from Milford, Conn., carries a 3.32 GPA as an English major. In the MAAC Championships, she had three top-five finishes to lead all Siena swimmers. Golino finished in third place in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:00.15 and in fourth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.91. She was a MAAC Champion earlier in her career.

Bigley, a junior from Rotterdam, holds a 3.52 GPA and is also an English major. He is the defending MAAC Individual Champion and was the 2004-2005 Albany Times Union Siena College Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He captured the Capital Stroke Play Championship this summer at Wolfert's Roost and is off to a great start in his junior campaign as well.

Perez, a senior from Kentfield, Calif., boasts a 3.08 overall GPA in marketing and management after posting a 3.43 this fall. He was a First Team All-MAAC selection last season and a preseason All-MAAC pick this year. Perez currently leads the Saints with a .367 batting average and has scored seven runs.

Granato, a sophomore from Clifton Park, has a 3.32 cumulative GPA in psychology after an impressive fall in which she registered a 3.72. Granato was recently named to the All-Tournament team in Samford Invitational. As a freshman, she started 37 of 40 games played batting .300.