LOUDONVILLE, NY – Recipients of the Leo and Jeannine Dufort Student-Athletes of the Month Award were awarded to Siena Men's Tennis and Volleyball standouts
Emilio Zavala Salinas and
Ella Treasure for the month of November.
Zavala Salinas, a sophomore from Merida Yucatan, Mexico, holds a cumulative 3.62 GPA after a spring 2025 term with a 3.68 GPA and majors in finance. The product of Technologico de Monterrey Campus Santa Fe is an ITA Scholar Athlete and was a MAAC Men's Tennis First Team Doubles partner last season.
Zavala Salinas held an identical 3-2 record in both singles and individual doubles play during the 2025 fall season. Of note, he teamed with
Santiago Trujillo to defeat the duo of Ludolph Wiggett and Michael Schut of Merrimack 7-6, (7-5) in the MAAC Masters Doubles Tournament.
Zavala Salinas also earned a pair of victories at the Colgate Invitational, defeating Le Moyne's Gabriel Segubiense 6-1, 6-2 and then partnered with Trujillo to beat the team of senior Aidan Chung and first year Witt Bulger from Colgate 6-1 in doubles play.
Treasure, a junior from Rochester, NY, holds a cumulative GPA of 3.36 with a spring 2025 term GPA of 3.76 as a double major in physics and astrophysics. The product of Pittsford Sutherland was named to the MAAC All-Academic last season and earned the Bob McCluskey Insurance MAAC Student Athlete of the Week award back on Oct. 22 of this year.
Treasure started all 33 matches and was a key contributor in helping the Saints back into the postseason as a No. 6 seed with the most wins (14) the team has had in a decade. The 6-foot middle blocker ranked second on the team in total blocks with 90.0 and added 84 kills on a .296 hitting percentage with 21 aces.
Treasure had seven matches with at least five blocks including a season-high six blocks in a win against Sacred Heart on Nov. 1. She also totaled a career-best eight kills on a .412 hitting percentage in a victory over Marist on Oct. 28.
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.
