Twin sisters Mary McCagg-Larin and Elizabeth (Betsy) McCagg Hills will be inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame on March 10 in Conneticut.

The Kirkland natives got their start in the sport in the waters around Seattle, headed on a path that would take them to Harvard, the World Championships and to several Olympic games.

“I was kind of surprised, but I’m excited that my sister is getting it at the same time,” said Besty McCagg, who lives in Kirkland and teaches at the St. Thomas School in Bellevue. “At the time it didn’t seem like anything special, being named to the National Team, but when I look back now I can see it was. We were so focused at the time.”

She and her family will make the trek back East for the event, meeting up with her sister, who lives in the Boston area.

“It’s a surprise, but also very gratifying,” said Mary. “It is nice to get the recognition.”

The sisters attended Lakeside School in Seattle before heading east for College. They were inducted into the Harvard Hall of Fame in 2004.

They were named to the National team in 1991, just two years after graduating from college, and earned their first World Championship medal in 1994, taking silver in the 8’s and bronze as a pair. They won gold in 1995, competing in Finland.

“The final race in ’95, the World Championships were in Finland, we had finished second a couple of times, and then as we started going, we realized how fast we were going. You had to do it together as a team,” said Betsy of one of her favorite memories.

Mary, who finished competing after the 1996 Olympics, works for Candlewick Press in Cambridge, Mass. and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“It’s been really fun,” Mary said of her work with the USOC. She said she started out volunteering, and worked her way up, getting a true feel of the behind scenes work an Olympic Games takes.

“It’s great to go from being an athlete to volunteering and getting to see what is behind the scenes,” said Mary. She said she and her husband will be traveling to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

“My husband and I are going,” she said. “It’s really fun, and it’s a great way for me to share my insights of rowing with the other board members.”

Betsy, who teaches pre-school, said now she doesn’t have nearly as much time for the sport as she used to, but hopes to find a way to get back into it.

“Now that I have kids and a full time job, a 45-minute work out is a big achievement and that used to be our warmups,” she said. “I hope to get back to it. I see them out there practicing on the water. I would like to do it in a non-competitive way if I can.”

The twins parent still live in the Kirkland area.

“We’re as proud as we possibly could be,” said Ted McCagg, of Kirkland, the twins father.