LOUDONVILLE, NY – Two more Siena seniors were honored as the latest Leo Dufort Student Athletes of the Month, the department announced Friday. Men's Tennis's Tomas del Olmo and Volleyball's Abby Huffman earned the awards for November.
A four-year member of the program and team captain, Del Olmo has consistently played in the team's top spot during both singles and doubles competition. The Virgin Island native went 4-4 in singles action and 3-5 as part of the top doubles squad during the 2020-21 season. Del Olmo qualified for the ITA Regionals this season, competing in the national tournament back in October.
A member of the MAAC all-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll throughout his career, del Olmo holds a 3.95 cumulative GPA in accounting and has been a member of Siena's 4.0 Club. He has been recognized as both an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and an ITA Scholar throughout his collegiate career.
Huffman appeared in all 30 matches during the Saints' 2021 season, recording 178 kills and a .228 hitting percentage. The San Rafael, California product led the team in total blocks with 93 on the year, and recorded double-digit kills in five matches on the season. Huffman appeared in 86 matches during her career in Green and Gold, recording 472 total kills.
Also a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll, Huffman holds a 3.62 cumulative GPA in creative arts, and put forth an impressive 3.8 mark during the Spring 2021 semester. She has been a part of Siena's Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) during her time in Loudonville.
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.
