Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/04/2016 -- The Oakland Strokes youth rowing club men's varsity eight won gold at The Head of The Charles Regatta in Boston while the women's varsity eight took 5th place on Sunday, October 23, 2016.

The Oakland Strokes varsity men braved extremely windy and cold weather to win the regatta for the second time in the past three years. The men beat their regional rivals and defending champions Marin Rowing Association in a strong field of crews that featured 84 crews. Varsity Men's Head Coach Brian de Regt credited the crew for their performance, saying, "We are very pleased with how the boys responded to the conditions and competition. The year is just beginning but it's encouraging to have a positive result so early in the process. This is a young group and we're looking forward to watching how they move forward from here."

The Oakland Strokes women also had a strong race, fighting the conditions to pass the crew from Mercer Rowing Club on their way to a 5th place showing. The crew fared well against another strong field of 85 crews representing the fastest teams from the country. Interim Varsity Women's Head Coach Anita Sarrett highlighted the strength of her crew, noting, "Racing at the Head of the Charles is always a great opportunity to see how we stack up against teams from all over the country as well as overseas. The girls stepped up to the challenge of racing in difficult conditions and to place top 5 in such a deep field is a very exciting result. I was impressed with the maturity and toughness with which the Charles 8+ attacked the training and race day and we are looking forward to building on this result for our remaining fall races."

About The Head of The Charles
The Head of The Charles is one of the world's preeminent rowing competitions, featuring races for U.S. and international rowers of all ages and abilities. This year marked the 52nd running of the race, which is the largest two day rowing regatta in the world. The 2016 Regatta attracted over 10,000 competitors from 28 different countries, including 30 gold medalists from the Rio Olympics.