Five from King set to play at D1 level

King School recently held a special ceremony honoring its fabulous five.

The group of five King senior student-athletes, all of whom hail from Greenwich, were recognized for committing to compete in their respective sports at the NCAA Division I level next year.

Twin sisters Anna and Olivia Boeckman, Harrison Feinberg, Sydney Fishkin and Sarah Hammoud attended Wednesday’s ceremony at King.

Anna Boeckman will continue her swimming career at the University of Pennsylvania and Olivia Boeckman is headed to Layfayette College, where she will play tennis.

Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club, based out of Stamford’s Chelsea Piers Connecticut, is the venue where Anna Boeckman has sharpened her swimming skills to compete at Division I level. She’s been swimming for 14 years.

“I am super excited that I am going to be able to con

tinue swimming in college,” Anna Boeckman said in a press release issued by King. “I could not have kept up with all the training and competing without the support of my parents, teammates and coaches. More specifically, my teammates and coaches have been there for me during hard practices and I cannot thank them enough.”

She appreciates King’s role in the commitment she’s made to swimming during her time at the school.

“King has been very supportive of my busy schedule with practices and competitions and I really appreciate that,” Anna Boeckman said. “Not only do the teachers help me catch up on work I might have missed, but they also are very supportive in working with all the student-athletes at King.”

Born in London, England, the Boeckman twins played a variety of athletics as youngsters, before finding their niche in their respective sports. Olivia Boeckman began playing tennis competitively five years ago and has been a standout on King’s squad for several seasons.

“It feels incredible to be able to commit to Lafayette College,” Olivia Boeckman said. “I started playing tennis when I was 6 years old, before playing competitively in 8th grade. Four years ago, I would not have seen myself competing at a D-1 level. I knew I had to work extremely hard and that is exactly what I did.”

After graduating from King in the spring, she will embrace her next tennis challenge at Lafayette.

“It feels amazing to have all the hard work and determination pay off and I am super excited to be going to a very good academic and athletic school,” said Olivia Boeckman, who besides playing at King, competes for the Rye Racquet Club. “I’m looking forward to meeting everyone on the team and building friendships with my teammates. I also can’t wait to start competing for Lafayette and putting my hard work into the collegiate level. I can’t wait to represent Lafayette and have an awesome four years on the team.”

Olivia has enjoyed her tennis experience at King.

“My time with King tennis and King made me a better student-athlete because King helped me manage my time very well and taught me that academics are just as important as tennis,” Olivia Boeckman said. “King helped me be independent and this transferred onto the court because tennis is a very individual sport. King Tennis also helped me enjoy tennis even more because it made me be part of a team.”

Anna and Olivia cherished Wednesday’s Division I college commitment ceremony at King and are excited that they will both play sports at the collegiate level.

“I am so happy that I am able to share this experience with my sister, Olivia, as I know we both have worked super hard and supported each other through it all,” Anna Boeckman said. “From playing a variety of sports when we were young, to focusing on different ones now, Olivia has always encouraged me to keep pushing forward and trying my best. I am very pleased we will both be in Pennsylvania and not far apart. The team is really close at UPenn and the coaches are great and I cannot wait to be Quaker.”

Said Olivia Boeckman: “It’s amazing to share this experience with Anna. I have watched her work so hard over the years and being able to accomplish our goals is an awesome feeling. We have always been super close and I can’t wait to see her do big things at the collegiate level. It’s also a little bit sad because Anna and I have been together for everything. This is going to be our first time going to separate schools.”

Feinberg, a standout baseball player at King, will take the skills he’s shown on the diamond for numerous years, to the University of Southern California.

Feinberg has played for King and the Greenwich Cannons American Legion program. He will join a USC baseball program that has won 12 NCAA Division I World Series titles.

“Finalizing my commitment to USC means a lot to me,” Feinberg said. “It has always been a goal of mine to play at the Division I level and getting the opportunity to do so is really awesome, as I worked very hard to get here.”

Feinberg arrived at King as a kindergartner.

“My time here has shaped the way I am as both a student and athlete,” he said. “King has a great learning environment that helps you grow as a student and achieve success in the classroom. From lower school P.E. to competitive team sports, my middle and high school years have allowed me to play an array of sports and help me grow as an athlete.”

As for playing at USC? “I am most looking forward to being able to play baseball every day in the warm weather and compete with my teammates at the next level,” Feinberg said.

Fishkin will join Rutger University’s Division I crew team next year. A rower at Connecticut Boat Club, she began competing in the sport seven years ago.

“When I first joined my club team I had a one-onone one meeting with my coach, and we talked about how the work wasn’t going to be easy and at times your body is going to want to quit, but that’s what your team is for,” Fishkin said. “My teammates are my best friends and I would do anything for them and I know they would do the same. The workouts were hard and grueling, but we’re a family of girls who are always there for one another.”

Being part of Rutgers’ competitive crew team will certainly test Fishkin’s skills.

“I am most looking forward to training at the college level and because of Rutgers’ ranking, competing against some of the best teams in the country,” she said. “I am also very excited to start taking more indepth classes that interest me and meet new people.

King made it so easy to be both a student and an athlete. Rowing takes a lot of time, because races are not just one day, but three, so having flexible and reliable teachers is something I am extremely grateful for.”

Hammoud is also a rower, who has trained at Connecticut Boat Club. She will continue her rowing career at Boston College.

“This moment is amazing,” Hammoud said. “I knew all the hard work I put in, missing so many school events, and the constant weekends of waking up at 6 a.m. all paid off.”

Hammoud credits King for inspiring her row at a high level.

“After racing with King for two seasons, I think the King team pushed me to realize this was a sport I loved and wanted to be a part of moving forward,” Hammoud said. “I am looking forward to rowing on the Charles River for the first time in Boston, but also to have a team that will be like my second family.”