Ella Cossill

Ella started rowing as a hobby alongside swimming in 2014 and 2016, her last year of high school at St Hilda’s School on the Gold Coast, Australia. Ella won Queensland schoolgirl state events in the Double and Eight, also claiming a 2nd in the Single.

Ella graduated high school in 2016, and continued swimming until late 2017 - but not rowing. She picked up rowing again at the start of 2018 as part of the Griffith University Boat Club. Ella claimed Silver in U21 Women's Coxed Four at Australian Rowing Nationals in 2018.

Ella took the next step in furthering her education on a rowing scholarship in the USA at the University of Washington, Seattle. She rowed as the spare pair in her Freshmen year (2018/19) at UW when the team swept all 3 boat classes at NCAA’s. Her family moved to New Zealand, where she eventually made the 2020 NZ U23 team which unfortunately did not travel. Ella took many big strides in her youthful rowing career, by making the NZ Elite Development Squad in 2020 and rowing with the Waikato High-Performance Rowing Squad.

Ella went back to USA and stroked the Varsity Eight in her Junior year (2021), where her crew won the Cal Dual/Windermere, Pac 12 Championships - going on to claim Bronze/3rd at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championship. She moved to 6 seat of the Varsity Eight her Senior year (2022), where her crew again won the Cal Dual Sprint race.

Ella went to compete at the 2022 Henley Royal Regatta in the Remenham Challenge Cup - unfortunately being knocked out by the strong Australian National Women's Eight.

Ella decided to transition part of her last year of studies at UW online, so she could prioritise her rowing a lot more after being selected in the 2022/23 NZ Elite Development Squad. This was a real standout season for Ella, being given the opportunity to row alongside some of the great NZ Rowing Olympians. Ella claimed Silver at the 2023 NZ National Rowing Championship in the pair with Phoebe Spoors and also came 2nd in the Premier Draft Eight.

She then travelled back for her fifth and final year at UW (2023), stroking the Varsity Eight to win the Cal dual, Windermere Cup, 2nd at PAC 12 Championships, then finishing her US Collegiate Rowing career with Silver at the 2023 NCAA National Championship.

Ella earned herself a 2023 NZ Elite Rowing Trial, where she impressed selectors and earned herself a seat in the NZ Elite Women's Coxless Four. A fresh new rowing combination went on to claim a promising 5th place at the 2023 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland - Ella's International Elite debut wearing the Silver Fern.

Ella majored in Food Systems, Nutrition & Health - Minoring in Education, Learning & Society at the University of Washington. She enjoys going out to eat with friends, swimming, travelling, napping, and watching movies.