HORSHAM Swimming Club has enjoyed another successful season in the pool, winning the 2014 Wimmera District Championships at Warracknabeal on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Sharks finished on 421 points, ahead of fellow district 12 clubs Stawell, 329, St Arnaud, 159, Donald, 166, Warracknabeal, 91, and Ararat, 37.
The win means the Sharks haven taken home the Wimmera District Amateur Swimming Association Shield – awarded to the team with the highest aggregate points tally for the season – for a seventh successive time.
Horsham Sharks coaching team leader Jenny Ough said it was a fantastic achievement.
“We’re very happy,” she said.
“Stawell in particular made us work hard.
"They’ve usually been just behind us on points and have kept our swimmers on their toes.”
She said Horsham’s under-12s had enjoyed a successful afternoon in their freestyle and medley relays, which showed good signs for the club’s future.
Across the championships, 117 swimmers from the six clubs competed.
The event began with heats in the morning, before the top seven swimmers in each event progressed through to finals in the afternoon.
Ough, also district 12 publicity officer, said it was a fantastic day of swimming, full of competitive races.
“I know all the clubs enjoyed it and there were a large number of people at the presentations at the end of the day,” she said.
“The championships is a huge day with heats and finals, and it really shows their fitness backing up from the morning in the afternoon.
“It was all positive for the kids.”
Ough said the relay events in particular were hotly contested.
“The relays – as a district – the clubs and teams really enjoy participating in. They create a lot of excitement,” she said.
The season’s 14 age-group champions were presented with trophies, with eight winners from Horsham, four from Stawell and two from St Arnaud.
Donald Swimming Club won the Barrow Shield, an award given to the club with the highest standardised aggregate points tally at the
Wimmera championships meet.
Ough said the event would not have been possible without the work of district and club officials.
“All the clubs had jobs on the day,” she said.
“It all ran smoothly and went very well overall.”
District president Stephen Wik also made special presentations to volunteer district officials Cath Perry, Grace Richardson and Greg Schwarz for their dedication and hard work throughout the season.
Wimmera District Amateur Swimming Association Shield: Horsham Swimming Club
Runner-up: Stawell Swimming Club
Barrow Shield: Donald Swimming Club
Runner-up: Stawell Swimming Club
Age champions for the 2013-14 season
8 years and under boys: Luca Geue, Horsham
8 years and under girls: Eloise Wills, Horsham
9-10 years boys: Riley Burke, St Arnaud
9-10 years girls: Alyssia Jenkins, Horsham
11-12 years boys: Jaxon Healy, Stawell
11-12 years girls: Layla Atherton, Horsham
13-14 years boys: Ethan Jolley, Horsham
13-14 years girls: Maddison Morgan, Horsham
15-16 years boys: Jayden Dignan, Stawell
15-16 years girls: Jordan Austin, Stawell
17 and over men: Cameron Lang, Horsham
17 and over women: Leanne Burke, St Arnaud
Open men: Luke Bone, Horsham
Open women: Jordan Austin, Stawell
Shane Hauesler perpetual trophy for men’s open freestyle 400m: Luke Bone, Horsham
Eleanor McRae for women’s open freestyle 400m: Chloe Rymer, St Arnaud
Alan Williams Memorial Trophy, WDASA, 12 years boys backstroke champion: Angus Tickner, Horsham