As most Sagehens were away from campus this summer, Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) Athletics was hard at work behind-the-scenes updating the school’s athletic brand.
On Aug. 1, the public was introduced to a new era of P-P athletics with the launch of a series of new logos: a reworked Sagehen design and an updated Cecil. With the new logos came reworked jerseys, apparel and merchandise. For many, it was a full-scale redesign of the P-P emblem.
The design process consisted of feedback from the P-P community. It was not a decision taken lightly, according to Sam Porter, the associate athletic director of communications and operations.
“It’s been in the works for quite some time,” Porter said. “We took groups of students, staff, coaches, stakeholders and alumni that met with our redesign group and came up with ideas and ideals that we thought would go into the new logo that represented Pomona and Pitzer.”
Despite the excitement of the unveiling, it received mixed feedback from the student body. Charlie Treene PO ’26 of P-P basketball talked of how many student athletes were quick to question the refashioned logos.
“I think some people were a little against it at first, but I think that’s just an initial reaction to change,” Treene said.
Ella Bowers PO ’26, a member of the women’s Track and Field team, described her initial hesitancy towards the change.
“I would say at this point it has grown on me a bit more,” Bowers said. “I think for a lot of us, it was jarring at first, but I get it a bit more now.”
According to Porter, the athletics department felt the update was long overdue.
“We needed something that was a little bit more modern,” Porter said. “We haven’t touched that logo or anything on the brand for 50 plus years, so I think it was time.”
For the athletics department, the rebrand reflects a larger shift into a new era of P-P athletics. Alongside newer facilities like the Center for Athletics, Recreation, and Wellness (CARW), this update demonstrates an investment in the future of P-P athletics.
“I think with the timing of it, of the recent success of athletics, the new building and the investment in the Pomona Pitzer athletics, I think the rebrand is right on cue with moving us from where we were to where we should be now: competing at the highest level of Division III,” Porter said.
Yet, as the athletics department worked to rebrand the logos as part of a larger commitment to athletic success in the future, some thought they lost track of the school’s identity as a DIII liberal arts institution.
“I think some of the logos they released are more simplified than the old ones,” Treene said. “The original logo is a lot more traditional, and it fits Pomona as a traditional liberal arts school type of vibe.”
JT Bard PZ ‘26, a member of the Men’s Cross Country Team, agreed, wondering if the new logos went with the tradition and history of the colleges.
“Part of my problem with the head of the Cecil is that it feels like the design doesn’t fit the vibe of the school,” Bard said. “To me, the logo kind of goes in a much more modern direction…in like a very sterilized kind of form. It feels like something that would fit an NFL team or something, whereas I don’t feel like it matches the vibe of the schools.”
Despite some skeptical first impressions, many student-athletes thought the modernized change was warranted and offered exciting new possibilities for the future of the athletics department. Treene particularly enjoyed Cecil’s revamped design.
“We’re trying to go for a more modern look, so it’s cool…I kind of like the more complex look,” Treene said.
Despite the complexity of the new design, Bowers felt as though it still retained some of its authenticity that was core to the old Cecil.
“[Change] is always going to be uncomfortable, but looking back now, that did look outdated,” Bowers said. “It is a nice refresh and it still maintains the integrity for sure.”
With the updated branding also comes new excitement and school spirit centered around the logos themselves.
“There’s definitely some pride in representing the logo, because it’s a concrete image of our athletic program,” Treene said. “It represents [our] time together and everything [we] work towards throughout each season.”
Facebook Comments