Feb. 11, 2010
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Men's tennis player Kevin Gioia and water polo standout Camille Norman have been named the Leo Dufort Student-Athletes of the Month representing January. The duo has continued to excel both in athletic competition and in the classroom.
A senior and local product from nearby Guilderland, N.Y., Gioia played in 12 matches last year for the Saints plus five more this past fall. He also combined to win a doubles event and last year and should be an integral cog for the Saints this year in their quest for a MAAC Championship.
Gioia has been superb with his academics, where he posted a stellar 3.6 GPA last semester and stands at a 3.41 overall as a finance major.
Norman, who hails from Bellevue, Wash., was a Preseason All-MAAC selection after being chosen for the Second Team following last season. A junior utility, through the team's first two games this season, she leads the Saints with seven total points including five goals scored.
In the classroom, Norman had a 3.54 GPA for the fall semester and currently has a cumulative GPA of 3.35 overall while majoring in Marketing and Management.
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.
