The Cottrell sisters may be far from home at Pomona, but on campus, a piece of home is always near.
Elsa Cottrell ’28 followed her older sister, Sydney, from Portland, Oregon, to Claremont to play for the Sagehens women’s basketball team. The Cottrells grew up avid sports fans, and in eighth grade, Sydney Cottrell ’26 began taking stats for Elsa’s middle school basketball team—the Sellwood Kangaroos.
The Cottrells, Sydney ’26 and Elsa ’28
All these years later, Sydney remains a core part of Elsa’s playing career as a statistician and game-day announcer for Sagehens women’s basketball.
“As soon as Elsa made the decision to come to Pomona,” Sydney says, “I knew I had to do everything in my power to call her games, even if only to sneak in an embarrassing story or two while on air.”
Elsa, a 5-foot-11 guard, was one of seven first-year players on a young Sagehens team that exceeded preseason expectations. As a newcomer, Elsa found the team culture “positive and so encouraging, a rarity in competitive sports.”
In her first season, Elsa averaged 13 minutes a game, and until leaving for Germany in the winter to study abroad for a semester, Sydney sat courtside calling all the action.
“As an announcer, I think there is an expectation that you maintain a neutral tone and call the game as it is, providing insights where necessary,” Sydney says. “Thus, it’s kind of surreal having my sister out there, someone who I’ve been cheering for my whole life and who I know better than anyone.”
Objective as she was, Sydney says she couldn’t help but smile calling Elsa’s name and number.
In the fall, the Cottrell sisters settled into routines—Monday lunches, library study sessions—and embraced the novelty of having a sibling on campus. As Sydney was at her home games, Elsa was a regular at Sydney’s choir and a cappella group productions.
“Originally, I didn’t want to go to the same school as my sister because we’ve done everything the same our whole lives,” Elsa says. “But now that I’m here, it’s really nice to have her here.”
Adds Sydney: “At first I did have to tell her once or twice that she can’t keep calling me while I’m in class, but I am so grateful to have a shared college experience with her.”