As a young girl, Lily Feldman always knew she wanted to play tennis at the next level. Now a senior in high school, Feldman has finally made this dream a reality, verbally committing to Skidmore College last Monday.

Skidmore College is a selective institution centralized in liberal arts studies, located in Saratoga Springs, New York. Along with high academic standards, its women’s tennis team boasts a competitive division three program, consistently near the top of the Liberty League conference.

Feldman looks to bring her talents to Skidmore next year after a competitive showing last year during the high school season, placing third overall and adding yet another top four women’s singles finish at the 2017 State Tournament. Feldman was also a large contributor to the Spartan’s team victory at the state tournament, where she played as the number one seed. The Spartan standout, Feldman, helped to bring home the state title after falling short the year prior when the team finished second overall.

In choosing Skidmore College, Feldman looks to find her niche both academically and athletically. Feldman finally decided on Skidmore after attending visits and receiving interest from multiple division one and division three institutions including Vassar, Drake, and Western Illinois. Feeling confident with her decision, Feldman explained, “I chose Skidmore because of its rigor and all of the programs it offers. For the field I am looking to pursue, Skidmore provides lots of exciting academic and study abroad opportunities.”

As for tennis, Feldman liked how the athletic opportunities paired with academics. “I chose to play division three because of its great balance of tennis and school. I know that I won’t be playing tennis for the rest of my life, so I based my decision more on the academics. The team is still extremely competitive. They have won a national championship and are always ranked in the top 15 nationally,” Feldman mentioned.

Before Feldman moves out east to Skidmore next fall, she’ll look to take the court with the Pleasant Valley Spartans for one last spring season. Teammate and fellow senior, Roshni Penmatcha, couldn’t be happier to join Feldman once again to play the sport they love together. In playing with Feldman throughout their varsity careers, Penmatcha emphasized the connection the two have created: “Lily has been such an amazing teammate and doubles partner over the past three years. I couldn’t have asked for a more committed, enthusiastic and hard-working teammate. I’m excited to see what her future holds at Skidmore.”