The Oakland Strokes rowing club captured its 26th national title at the 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships held in Sarasota, Florida. The victory was driven by a Men’s U17 eight-plus crew that included three athletes from the San Ramon Valley area: Dominic Lorente of San Ramon Valley High School, Ari Bernstein of Dougherty Valley High School, and Oliver Beaver of Monte Vista High School. San Ramon is located approximately 10 miles northwest of Pleasanton.
The championship boat was largely composed of newcomers to the sport. Two-thirds of the crew members were first-year rowers who had not competed in a race prior to this season. Despite their inexperience, the team posted the fastest time in the second half of the race, finishing just over two seconds ahead of the competition. Sean Gibel served as the head coach for the winning crew.
Other local athletes also achieved notable results at the national event. Kaloyan Nikolov, a junior at Monte Vista High School, helped his crew secure a silver medal in the Men’s Youth four-minus event. Maria Kozak of Dougherty Valley High School competed in a boat that finished 15th overall.
Several other San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista rowers placed in the top rankings. Ritika Deshpande of Monte Vista High School rowed in a crew that finished 11th overall, marking the fastest third-varsity eight in the nation. Ava Wheeler of Monte Vista, Mako Begossi of San Ramon Valley, and Samyra Joshi of Monte Vista were part of a boat that placed 17th overall.
Allison Ray, the director of rowing for the Oakland Strokes, highlighted the significance of the team’s composition. She noted that winning with a majority of first-year athletes and taking silver with a crew featuring three returning juniors demonstrated the program’s trajectory. Ray stated that the results indicate a strong future for the organization.
