LOUDONVILLE, NY – A pair of Siena Basketball upperclassmen were recognized as the latest recipients of the Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month awards. Men's Basketball senior Steven Lazar and Women's Basketball junior Anajah Brown each received the honor for the month of December.

A four-year member of the program and the lone senior on the 2023-24 roster, Lazar has appeared in nine contests for the Saints in his collegiate career, including four thus far this season. A 2023 NABC Honors Court selection, he has consistently thrived in the classroom at Siena as a biology major, holding a 3.89 cumulative GPA and posting a perfect 4.0 mark during the Fall 2023 semester. The Toronto, Ontario native has also made the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll throughout his time on the team.

A three-year member of the women's team and two-year team captain, Brown averages 8.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per-contest this season through 11 games, while ranking second in the MAAC in blocks per-game (1.36) and third in total blocks (15). A Third-Team All-MAAC selection and finalist for the Siena Female Student Athlete of the Year award last season, she has made 42 starts in 63 total appearances with a career average of 7.7 points, 5.8 boards, and 67 total blocks. The Norristown, Pennsylvania product holds a 3.12 cumulative GPA as a political science major, and posted a 3.54 mark during the Fall 2023 semester.

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.