LOUDONVILLE, NY – A pair of Siena upperclassmen were recognized as the latest recipients of the Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month awards. Swimming and Diving senior Audrey Shultz and Women's Tennis senior Emma Boggiali each received the honor for the month of January.
A four-year member of the program and one of four seniors on the 2023-24 roster, Shultz has turned in five best times so far this season, including the 200yd freestyle, 500yd freestyle, 1000yd freestyle, and the 1650yd freestyle. She currently ranks third in the 200 breast, fourth in the 400IM, and seventh in the 100 breast on the program's All-Time Top Ten Performer's List.
Shultz has consistently thrived in the classroom at Siena as a Communications & Journalism major, holding a 3.95 cumulative GPA and posting a perfect 4.0 GPA during the Fall 2023 semester. The Chester, NJ native has also made the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll throughout her time on the team as well as being named a MAAC Swimmer of the Week and a CSC Academic All-District Honoree.
A member of the All-MAAC First Team for #1 doubles with teammate and current junior Laia Girlatduring the 2022-23 season, Boggiali compiled a 15-10 overall record including 6-0 in conference play last year. Making her way up to #2 singles during her junior year, Boggiali led the Saints to clinch the MAAC Championship after finishing off a straight set victory from the No. 5 spot in singles in her first season on the team. An ITA All-Academic Scholar for the past three years, she is also a two-time Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar.
A four year member of the team who will graduate this spring, the Rome, Italy native holds a 3.93 cumulative GPA, and posted a 3.92 GPA for the Fall 2023 semester as a business concentration major with concentrations in business analytics and fundamentals of finance. Boggiali is a member of Siena's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has been a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll.
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.
