LOUDONVILLE, NY – The recipient of the Leo and Jeannine Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month Award was awarded to Siena Softball standout Emma Petersen for the month of May.
 
Petersen, a senior and native of Phoenix, AZ, is a two-time MAAC All-Academic and three-time MAAC Honor Roll member. The product of Xavier College Preparatory holds a 4.0 cumulative GPA as business analytics major. 
 
Petersen was named First Team All-MAAC at infield after delivering one of the top offensive seasons in program history. She established career highs across the board, batting .381 with 64 hits, 10 home runs, 41 RBI, a .637 slugging percentage, and a .400 on-base percentage. Her 64 hits ranked third-most in a single season in program history, while her 107 total bases also ranked third. Additionally, her 10 home runs tied for sixth-most all-time in a season at Siena, and her 41 RBI tied for eighth. Among MAAC leaders, she finished fourth in hits, fifth in batting average, tied for fifth in both home runs and RBI, sixth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS, and tied for third in total bases, establishing herself as one of the conference's premier offensive threats. Graduating top-10 in program history in games played (1st - 205), hits (4th - 204 & is the 4th Saint to each 200), runs (t-9 - 90), doubles (2nd - 52), home runs (4th - 26), RBI (3rd - 144), total bases (3rd - 344), and slugging (6th - .539).
 
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.