Ella Cossill

Favorite Venue: Montlake Cut, Lake Washington, Washington, United States of America

Favorite Boat Class: 8+

Ella began rowing as a hobby alongside swimming in 2014 while attending St Hilda’s School on the Gold Coast, Australia. In 2016, her final year of high school, she won Queensland schoolgirl state events in the Double and Eight, and also claimed second place in the Single.

After graduating high school in 2016, Ella continued swimming until late 2017, but paused her rowing. She picked it up again in early 2018, joining the Griffith University Boat Club, where she earned Silver in the U21 Women’s Coxed Four at the Australian Rowing Nationals.

Ella took the next step in her rowing career by accepting a rowing scholarship at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. In her freshman year (2018/19), she rowed as the spare pair when the team swept all three boat classes at the NCAA Championships. During this time, her family moved to New Zealand, and in 2020, Ella was selected for the NZ U23 team, although they were unable to travel due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, she continued making strides, joining the NZ Elite Development Squad in 2020 and training with the Waikato High-Performance Rowing Squad.

In her junior year (2021), Ella returned to the University of Washington and stroked the Varsity Eight, leading her crew to victory at the Cal Dual/Windermere, the Pac-12 Championships, and a Bronze medal at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championship. In her senior year (2022), she moved to the 6-seat of the Varsity Eight, where her crew won the Cal Dual Sprint race again.

That same year, Ella competed at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in the Remenham Challenge Cup, where her crew was unfortunately knocked out by the Australian National Women’s Eight.

To prioritize rowing, Ella transitioned part of her final year of studies at the University of Washington online after being selected for the 2022/23 NZ Elite Development Squad. This season was a standout for her, as she had the opportunity to row alongside some of New Zealand’s rowing Olympians. At the 2023 NZ National Rowing Championships, Ella claimed Silver in the Pair with Phoebe Spoors and also finished 2nd in the Premier Draft Eight.

Ella returned to the USA for her fifth and final year at Washington (2023), where she stroked the Varsity Eight to victory at the Cal Dual and Windermere Cup, placed 2nd at the PAC-12 Championships, and concluded her US collegiate rowing career with a Silver medal at the 2023 NCAA National Championships.

Following her strong performance at the 2023 NCAA’s, Ella was selected for the World Rowing Championships in the Women’s Four, where the crew successfully qualified the boat for the Paris Olympics with a 7th-place finish. She was then named to the 2023/24 Summer Squad and competed at World Cup II in the Women’s Pair alongside Stella Clayton Greene.

The 2024-2025 summer season marked a significant transition for Ella as she moved from sweeping to sculling. She quickly adapted to her new discipline, demonstrating her versatility and skill. At the North Island Club Championships, she made the A final in the Women’s Single and claimed victory in the Women’s Double. She continued her strong performances at the National Championships, once again reaching the A final in the Single and securing silver in the Double.

Following an intense week of seat racing at the Elite Trials in March, Ella earned selection for one of two Women’s Doubles alongside first-time elite rower Sophie Egnot-Johnson. The duo made their international debut together at World Cup I, racing in the B final, while Ella also stepped into the Women’s Four — finishing fourth — after being called in to cover an injury within the crew.

Following the World Cup series, Ella once again impressed selectors, earning a spot in the New Zealand Elite Women’s Quad for the World Championships in Shanghai this September. On the first day of racing, the quad finished 3rd in their heat with the 5th fastest qualifying time, securing direct entry into the A final. The crew went on to place 5th in the A final — a strong result at the elite level for a relatively new combination. Ella returned to Lake Karapiro to continue training as part of the 2025–2026 Elite Summer Squad where she had a very successful domestic racing season. Ella won gold and the National title at the National Championships in both the Women’s pair and Women’s four. These results gained her a trial for the World Cup team where she was successful in making the Women’s four. Alana then trialed for the 2026 World Cup team and was successfully selected in the women’s four. The Women’s Four had a very successful World Cup series where they won a bronze medal at World Cup I  in Seville, Spain and a silver medal at World Cup II in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

At the World Championship team confirmation trial, the Women’s Four was reselected and remained unchanged from the crew that competed throughout the World Cup series. Ella was also selected into the Women’s Eight to compete at the 2026 World Championships in Amsterdam. The Women’s Four finished 8th overall, while the Women’s Eight progressed to the A Final in their first international race together, ultimately finishing 6th overall.

Following her successful 2026 international campaign, Ella has been selected for the 2026–27 Summer Squad, where she will continue to train and compete domestically for Rowing New Zealand.

Ella majored in Food Systems, Nutrition & Health and minored in Education, Learning & Society at the University of Washington. In her free time, she enjoys going out to eat with friends, swimming, traveling, napping, and watching movies.