Oct. 8, 2009

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Cross country runner Zack Fitzsimmons and field hockey player Andrea Caso have been named the Leo Dufort Student Athletes of the Month for September as announced today by the department. The duo has excelled both in athletic competition and in the classroom.

A native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Fitzsimmons has consistently been amongst the top Siena finishers during the team's three fall invitationals. His best outing came at the NJIT Classic on Sept. 20 when he finished 20th overall.

Fitzsimmons success on the course has only been surpassed by his accomplishments in the classroom. The sophomore boasts a 3.82 overall GPA as a chemistry major and is part of the prestigious 4.0 Club at Siena.

Caso, who hails from Carmel, N.Y., has enjoyed a stellar fall season on the field hockey team. She has already surpassed her single-season career high this season with seven points and leads the team with 20 shots.

As a student, Caso currently maintains a solid 3.33 cumulative GPA as an English Education major.

The Leo Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month Award is presented nine times annually (September-May) throughout the academic year. The award recognizes exemplary achievements in both academics and athletics. The late Leo Dufort received a B.S. in marketing and management from Siena in August of 1977. His entire academic career was completed on a part-time basis beginning in the spring of 1961, as a married adult while at the same time raising five children. He passed away suddenly of a heart attack while cross country skiing in February of 1993. His wife Jeanine wanted to do something to immortalize his memory. The original plaque was donated to athletics and the department began the Leo Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month Award to help carry out his legacy. Dufort graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1954, was a Navy Veteran (USS Bennington) who worked for JL Hammett Co. at the time of his death.