LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following continued success within both programs this past fall, a pair of Siena Cross Country members have been honored as the Leo Dufort Student Athletes of the Month for October 2021. Seniors Owen Walker and Olivia Lomascolo each took home the award for solid academics paired with high-level athletic performances.

A four-year member of the team, Walker has been a solid contributor during cross country season throughout his collegiate career, placing 41^st at the MAAC Championships his freshman year, 25^th his sophomore season, 16^th his junior year, and 37^th his past season. Walker is currently the 13^th fastest 8k runner in program history, as well as the 6^th fastest in the 10k.

A three-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and four-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll honoree, Walker graduates in three years with a degree in accounting, and is currently in graduate school, holding a 3.97 cumulative GPA. Walker has been a member of Siena's 4.0 Club, as well as on the President's List.

One of the top cross country runners in program history, Lomascolo has put together a storied career over the last four seasons, including holding the school records in the women's 6k, freshman 5k, 5000 meter race, and running as part of the school record 4x800 meter and distance medley relay teams. A three-time member of the All-MAAC Team for cross country, the Ballston Lake, NY native placed third individually at the 2021 MAAC Cross Country Championships to record the best individual finish (men or women) in program history and help the women's team finish at the MAAC Runner-Up for the second straight year. She was named to the MAAC 40^th Anniversary Team for both cross country and indoor track, and is a two-time MAAC Female Runner of the Week honoree.

A member of both the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor roll, Lomascolo holds a 3.4 GPA in nursing, and is set to graduate in the spring. She is currently serving as a team captain.

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 and was a Navy Veteran (USS Bennington) who worked for JL Hammett Co. at the time of his death.