LOUDONVILLE, NY – Recipients of the Leo and Jeannine Dufort Student Athletes of the Month Award were given to Siena Soccer standouts
Eric Svensson and
Iona Snape for the month of September.
Svensson, a senior back from Halmstad, Sweden, holds a cumulative 3.52 GPA as a Psychology major. He earned a 3.64 GPA in the spring of 2025.
The Sannarpsgymasiet product is a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team member and three-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll section. Svensson also earned an Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM) Academic Honor Roll nod.
On the pitch, Svensson scored the winning goal in a 4-0 win at Canisius this past Wednesday and has started in eight of nine matches thus far in 2025 for the Saints.
He's also totaled the fourth most minutes on the team with 689 minutes played.
Snape, the senior midfielder from Woy Woy, Australia, holds a cumulative GPA of 3.99 as a mathematics major and has earned multiple 4.0 GPA terms during her time at Siena.
The Gosford High School product was selected to the first-ever Eastern Athletic Conference Association (EAST-COMM) Academic Honor Roll, was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection and a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team and three-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll selection.
On the field, Snape has started all 13 games this season, totaling 870 minutes, and recorded an assist in a 3-0 victory over MAAC foe Niagara on Sept. 20.
In her collegiate career, Snape has played in 66 games with 53 starts, encompassing 3,759 minutes and has tallied one goal and six assists.
The Leo and Jeannine 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 six children. He passed away suddenly in 1993. His wife Jeannine wanted to do something to immortalize his memory. The original plaque was donated to athletics and the school 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 which is where he met his high school sweetheart, Jeannine Snyder. Among his many accomplishments, Leo was extremely active in youth sports throughout his life and was a Navy Veteran stationed on the USS Bennington. The name of the award was updated in December 2024 to also honor Leo's wife, Jeannine Dufort, and her many years of dedicated and loving service to Siena College. It was often said that Jeannine was one the most knowledgeable people on campus during her years of service. Jeannine served as the secretary to presidents Rev. Hugh Hines, Rev. William McConville, and Rev. Kevin Mackin. Her love for the students was endless. A short time after Jeannine retired, she was awarded the title of Honorary Franciscan (complete with her Franciscan robe). Jeannine passed away in June 2025.
