Nine athletes headed to youth nationals.
Ten Piedmont rowers brought home medals from the USRowing Southwest Youth Regional Championships over the weekend of May 1 to 3. Their wins helped Oakland Strokes record two historic gold medals and qualify ten boats. The qualifying boats, including nine of the ten Piedmont athletes, are now headed to the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, in June.
Three Piedmont athletes rowed in the Women’s Varsity 8+, which won the gold medal, the club’s first Women’s V8+ title in 12 years: junior Sophia Brenner of Piedmont High in the two seat, senior Claire von Metzsch of College Preparatory School in the five seat, and senior Geneva Johnson of Piedmont High at stroke. The boat is coached by Allison Ray. The Men’s U17 8+, coached by Sean Gibel, also took gold, the club’s first-ever win in the event’s A Final.
More than a regional title
Most people hear “Southwest Regionals” and assume it’s a small qualifier, but the regatta, held on Lake Natoma near Sacramento, is the combined varsity rowing championships for California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The top youth rowing programs from across the four states race head-to-head. To qualify a boat for Youth Nationals, a crew must beat the fastest boats from across the region.
Piedmont across the qualifying boats
Piedmont rowers anchored five more Oakland Strokes boats that qualified for Nationals. Senior Laurel Minor of Piedmont High rowed bow in the Women’s 2V 8+, which took silver. Minor will attend the University of Virginia in the fall. Sophomores Paige Young (bow) and Amelia Callaway (stroke), both of Piedmont High, were in the Women’s 3V 8+ that finished fourth in the 2V A Final to qualify. Sophia Brenner also rowed in the Women’s Pair, which took silver. Claire von Metzsch (bow) and Geneva Johnson (stroke), both V8+ rowers, doubled up in the Women’s Straight Four, which finished fourth and qualified for Nationals. Senior Senan Brodie (bow) and junior Connor Cross (three seat) of Piedmont High were in the Men’s Straight Four, which took silver to qualify. And Piedmont sophomore Diego Branneria rowed bow in the Men’s Pair (with senior Russell Arroyo of St. Mary’s at stroke), which qualified for Nationals.
A Piedmont senior earns a regional medal
Senior Audrey Dickinson of Piedmont High also brought home a medal: she rowed in the four seat of an Oakland Strokes 4V crew that took silver in the Women’s Youth 3V 8+ A Final, earning a regional medal (this race is not a Nationals-qualifying event). Dickinson will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall.
A pathway that reaches colleges across the country
The Women’s Varsity 8+ that won gold reflects the strength of the Oakland Strokes pathway to college rowing. All six seniors in the boat are headed to NCAA programs in the fall, including two Piedmont rowers: Geneva Johnson of Piedmont High to Boston University, and Claire von Metzsch of College Preparatory School to Yale. Their teammates Ava Wheeler is bound for the University of Pennsylvania, Alexis Arroyo for Tufts, the coxswain Samyra Joshi for Duke, and Mako Begossi for the University of California, Berkeley. Three juniors in the boat will lead the V8+ next season: Ingrid Flory of Acalanes (committed to the University of Texas at Austin), Harper Wood-Soloff of Head-Royce (committed to the admissions process at Dartmouth), and Piedmont’s own Sophia Brenner (still in her recruiting process).
Senan Brodie of Piedmont High has committed to row Penn lightweights in the fall. He joins eight other Oakland Strokes seniors headed to collegiate rowing programs, including two more NCAA-bound women: Mari Fukuda of Alameda High to Cornell, and Lydia Hodges of Monte Vista High School to UNC Chapel Hill. On the men’s team: Russell Arroyo of St. Mary’s College High School to Columbia lightweights, Henry Tatara of Head-Royce School to Wesleyan, Liam Dinwiddie of Campolindo High School to Purdue, Matthew Eggert of Alameda High School to Hobart, Grifinn Chamorro of Bishop O’Dowd to the University of San Diego, and Harrison Billington of Alameda High School to UC San Diego. In total, 15 Oakland Strokes seniors will row at college programs across the country in the fall.
“What I’m most proud of is that the entire team worked for these results,” said Allison Ray, the Oakland Strokes Director of Rowing. “Sending the 1V, 2V, and 3V to Nationals together is a first for our club, and it happened because everyone felt part of the work, whether they were in those top boats or not. That speaks to the strength of Oakland.”
“What I’m most proud of is the culture this squad built, working hard, being coachable, and lifting up their teammates,” said Sean Gibel, the Oakland Strokes Men’s U17/U16 Coach. “The goal was to put in the work to be a front-runner, not just a contender. Now we enter Nationals training as front-runners from the Southwest. And one of the best parts of the weekend was watching families and teammates cheering for every Oakland boat down the course. Different squads, one team.”
Looking ahead
Oakland Strokes qualified ten boats for Youth Nationals. For the first time in club history, the Women’s 3V will race at Nationals, joining the 1V and 2V on the trip to Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, June 11 to 14.
Oakland Strokes is for athletes who want to be inspired, challenged, and compete at the highest level. The club has programs for middle schoolers and high schoolers, with no rowing experience required. Summer camps for middle and high school athletes and middle school year-round programs are open for registration now. The high school team also offers a free two-week trial in late August for athletes considering joining. For 50 years on the Oakland Estuary, Oakland Strokes has sent rowers to the most competitive programs in the country, where rowing has opened doors at schools many of them might not otherwise have reached. Information about all programs and registration is available at oaklandstrokes.org.
Photo credits: Women’s Varsity 8+ gold-medal photo