May 11, 2010

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - A pair of seniors - Al Williams from baseball and Lauren Weingart from softball have earned the final Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month honors for the academic year, representing May. These two seniors have continued to excel both athletically and academically.

A local product from Clifton Park, N.Y., Williams has appeared in 15 games in the outfield this season for the Saints. He had a career day earlier this year against southern power Radford, where he went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.

Williams has also been a standout in the classroom as well where he has been a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection. Recently, he was recognized at the annual Student-Athlete Recognition Luncheon with the School of Liberal Arts Award for maintaining the highest GPA in that school amongst all student-athletes. Williams will graduate later this month with a 3.77 GPA with a degree in Economics.

Weingart, who hails from Fishkill, N.Y., recently completed one of the best careers in Siena softball history. She finished the season strong with a .322 batting average with 20 RBI and a team-leading seven home runs.

Academically, Weingart has also been a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection. She currently boasts a 3.46 GPA and will earn a degree in history later this month.

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.