LOUDONVILLE, NY – A pair of Siena upperclassmen spring sport athletes were named the latest recipients of the Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month awards. Baseball senior Randall Hien and Women's Golf junior Jillian Barend took home the honors for the month of April.  

A four-year letterwinner for Siena Baseball, Hien has played in 126 career games with 99 starts, with 80 collegiate hits, 70 runs, 14 extra-base hits, and 37 RBI's. The Lincoln, Rhode Island native has recorded eight multi-hit games this season, enjoyed a seven-game hitting streak from March 20-29, and went 4-5 with two runs scored and a pair of doubles on February 17 at Longwood. Set to graduate from Siena this month with a degree in Health Science, Hien holds a 3.39 cumulative GPA, and has been a member of both the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll. He serves as a team captain this season, and is a member of Siena's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Having recently wrapped her third season with the women's golf program. Barend held an 80.3 scoring average this season with four top-ten individual finishes, including placing third individually at the 2023 Shark Invitational back in October. The North Attleboro, Massachusetts native finished 26^th at the 2024 MAAC Championships, and has been involved with Siena's SAAC Executive Committee as the VP for Health and Wellness. A psychology major with a 3.92 cumulative GPA, Barend has been named to the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor roll throughout college, and has also been a WGCA All-America Scholar.

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.