Nov. 3, 2009
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Junior men's soccer forward Joe Tavernese and junior women's soccer tri-captain Cara Riley were honored today as the Leo Dufort Student-Athletes of the Month for October. The duo has excelled both on the pitch and in the classroom.
Tavernese, who hails from Garden City, N.Y. has been a strong starting presence on the Saints' front line this season. He currently ranks third on the team in points with 11, while posting a team-leading five assists. Tavernese, who has come to be known for his crowd-pleasing flip throws, registered a team-best three assists during the month of October.
In the classroom, Tavernese has posted a cumulative GPA of 3.11 as an education major.
A native of Berlin, Conn., Riley helped to lead the women's soccer team to a second place finish in the MAAC standings. An All-MAAC Second Team selection, Riley totaled nine points on a team-high seven assists this season.
As a student, Riley boasts a 3.81 GPA as an accounting major and posted a perfect 4.0 GPA during the spring semester. Last winter, she was one of three recipients of Siena's Student-Athlete Recognition awards.
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.
