Tene Ariyo ’26, women’s volleyball
Recruited for both volleyball and track and field, the Houston native appeared in 11 matches her first fall season and earned all-region honors in the high jump the ensuing spring. But ahead of her sophomore year, she learned she had a herniated disk in her lower back and subsequently retired from track and field.
From the middle hitter position, she finished second on the team in kills with 227.
Away from the court, Ariyo, an economics major, runs the Athletes of Color Affinity Group for Pomona-Pitzer athletics, organizing events, connecting student-athletes across sports and fostering community between Sagehens. She also shoots and edits videos for Pomona’s various social media platforms.
Academically, economics as a discipline has always “scratched the right parts of my brain,” Ariyo says. “What I love is how it connects numbers to human behavior. It’s puzzle solving with real-world consequences, where you can trace decisions, incentives and systems to better understand why things work the way they do.”
Yafae Cotton ’26, football
A returning running back for the Sagehens, the Posse Scholar and Chicago native appeared in four games for a Sagehens team that defeated Redlands, 12-0, in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Third-Place Game.
“Football teaches you a lot of life lessons,” he says. “It shows you how to be mentally strong and how to play with passion and for your brothers on the field. It teaches sacrifice and the power of relying on others.”
Some of Cotton’s close friends from his early football days are now in their career fields.
As fast as time feels like it’s moving, Cotton says he’s focused on staying present in class and with the people around him.
“I love Pomona,” he says. “I appreciate the sense of purpose and the community. Being here has challenged how I think, helping me see the world’s challenges from new perspectives.”
Joya Terdiman ’26, women’s cross country
For San Francisco native and neuroscience major Terdiman, there’s beauty in a sport that tests both your mental fortitude and physical strength.
“You’re required to be super gritty,” she says. “It’s just you on the course, so you really have to push yourself, and there’s something fun about that.”
Terdiman was the Sagehens’ top runner at November’s NCAA Division III Championships, finishing 67th individually with a time of 22:27.90.
“What’s beautiful about the sport is that every single person on the team, no matter what level they are, starts on the same line,” she says. “You have this really strong bond with everyone because you all have to do this really challenging thing. You’ve just got to get to the end.”