April 7, 2009
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Siena College men's golf senior captain James Gifford and water polo and swimming and diving sophomore Molly Chamberlain have been named the Leo Dufort Student-Athletes of the Month representing the month of March. The duo has excelled both in athletic competition and in the classroom.
A local product from Niskayuna, N.Y., Gifford has followed up a solid fall with a strong spring for the men's golf team. He finished as high as 15th overall at the Lonnie Barton Memorial and led all Siena competitors at the Towson Spring Invitational, shooting an even par 72 and +1 round of 73 on the final 36 holes. Most recently he tied for 17th overall at the Lafayette Invitational, helping lead the Saints to an impressive fifth place finish.
As a student, Gifford has maintained a strong GPA of above 3.0. An accounting major, he currently boasts an overall GPA of 3.08.
A native of Kingston, Pa., Chamberlain has excelled in just a short year and a half as member of both the water polo and women's swimming and diving teams. Earlier this year, she emerged as one of the team's top swimmers and was amongst the conference leaders in times and event wins. This spring she has enjoyed much success as well for the water polo team where as of the time of this release, she had played in all 21 games starting 20 and ranked second on the team with 36 steals.
In the classroom, Chamberlain posted a 3.4 GPA last semester and has a 3.24 cumulative GPA as a social work major.
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, was a Navy Veteran (USS Bennington) who worked for JL Hammett Co. at the time of his death.
