The club won the shield after finishing with the highest aggregate score for the District 12 swimming season.

The score was based on meets throughout summer.

Stawell Stingrays finished runners-up.

The final meet of the season was the Wimmera Swimming Championships at Warracknabeal at the weekend.

The Sharks won with 551 points, followed by the Stingrays on 469.

Donald Swimming Club received the Barrow Shield for the highest standardised aggregate, or the number of points divided by the number of swimmers.

Horsham Sharks coach Paul Atherton said it was great to see young swimmers rise to the occasion during the season.

‘‘We’ve got a lot of swimmers who do quite well, but kids who pull out something special to win races is always good to see,’’ he said.

Swimming has experienced a boost in the Wimmera this season.

In January, the Sharks took their biggest squad in more than a decade to the Victorian Country Swimming Championships.

Wimmera District 12 Swimming Association president Sally Gebert said the Warracknabeal championships exhibited the region’s strongest field in years.

More than 130 swimmers competed at the event.

‘‘At the weekend we had one of the strongest fields of swimmers we’ve had in the Wimmera district in a few years, so it is great to see swimming getting stronger,’’ she said.

‘‘Horsham did very well all year – the club does a lot of training and it showed in its swimmers.

‘‘Some of the smaller clubs should be very happy with their effort because they can’t train all year around because they don’t have an indoor pool.’’

Mrs Gebert said she was pleased to see renewed interest in swimming as a sport in the Wimmera.

‘‘Swimming is a really healthy, low-impact sport across all ages,’’ she said.

‘‘We saw a lot of competitors improve during the season and we also fielded a strong squad at the inter-district competition in Melbourne.’’

She said all teams should be pleased with their efforts throughout the season and at the championships. Atherton said he was happy with how the club went at the championships.

‘‘I certainly wasn’t disappointed in any performances,’’ he said.

‘‘I think a few swimmers probably stepped up to the occasion and defied previous form to swim very well.

‘‘We had some good individual results but our relay teams performed very well.’’

Ararat Rats Swimming Club president Ainsley Cameron said the weekend’s event was competitive.

‘‘It was a very long day for everyone with heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon,’’ she said.

Mrs Cameron said 21 swimmers from the club attended the championships.

‘‘We had about five swimmers go to the meet last year, so it was huge for us to come away with some medals and personal bests,’’ she said.