Jan. 3, 2009
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Siena men's basketball player Ryan Rossiter and women's basketball player Sarah Fullmer have been named the Leo Dufort Student Athletes of the Month for December. The duo excelled both on the hardwood and in the classroom.
A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Rossiter has made his mark this season emerging into the Saints' starting five. A sophomore, Rossiter currently leads the team at the time of this release in rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage. Additionally, he was named MAAC Player of the Week on Jan. 26.
In the classroom, Rossiter has continually been near the top of the team in grade point average. He completed the fall semester with a cumulative GPA of 2.86 as an undecided business major.
Fullmer, who hails from Swansea, Mass. has also had a profound impact on the surging women's basketball team this season. She continues to rank amongst the league leaders in field goal percentage, while placing second in the MAAC at the time of this release in blocked shots.
A history major, Fullmer earned a perfect 4.0 for the spring semester and a 3.35 during the fall. She has an overall GPA of 3.58.
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.
