DCST Earns National Recognition for Age Group Excellence

Swim DCST
September 19, 2026

The DeKalb County Swim Team has been recognized by USA Swimming as one of the top age group programs in Illinois and across the country!

In the inaugural USA Swimming Age Group Excellence program, DCST finished 5th in Illinois and 86th nationally, earning 630 points for the 2026 season.


USA Swimming launched Age Group Excellence at the conclusion of the 2026 season to recognize clubs doing an outstanding job developing swimmers age 14 and under. Created by USA Swimming’s Age Group Development Committee with support from its Data Science team, the program looks beyond championship results to evaluate the overall development and experience of age group swimmers.


Clubs can earn up to 1,000 points, with 200 points available in each of five equally weighted areas:

  • Exposure – introducing new athletes to competitive swimming
  • Meet Participation – keeping swimmers engaged through competition
  • Improvement – measuring athletes’ year-to-year performance development
  • IMX/R Participation – developing competency and legal swimming in all four strokes
  • Retention – keeping athletes involved in the sport from one season to the next


DCST earned 630 points, including 195.7 points for Retention, 157.4 for Meet Participation, 126.6 for IMX/R Participation, 80.5 for Exposure and 69.5 for Improvement.


Those five areas reflect many of the goals at the heart of age group swimming: bringing kids into the sport, encouraging them to compete, helping them improve, developing all four strokes and giving them an experience that keeps them swimming.


USA Swimming will recognize the top 10% of clubs within each club-size category, allowing programs to be evaluated among similarly sized peers. The Age Group Excellence program will be awarded annually, with scoring completed automatically using USA Swimming participation and performance data.


Finishing 5th among Illinois Swimming clubs and 86th nationally in the program’s very first year is an exciting accomplishment for DCST and a reflection of the work our swimmers, coaches and families put into the program every day.

Stroke Clinic Starts Today!

By Swim DCST • September 15, 2026
Stroke Clinic

Welcome Back!

By Swim DCST • September 8, 2026
The Winter 2026 season begins Tuesday, September 8!

Celebrating Our Summer Season

By Swim DCST • September 6, 2026
On Sunday, August 30, our DCST family gathered at our home pool at the Kishwaukee Family YMCA to celebrate an incredible 2026 summer season! We recognized the hard work, improvement, sportsmanship and accomplishments of our swimmers — and, of course, finished the celebration the best way we know how: ice cream and a swim! Congratulations to ALL of our swimmers! We are so proud of the work you put in, the way you supported your teammates and everything you accomplished this summer. ο»Ώ

Welcome Coach Quinn

By Swim DCST • August 11, 2026
We are incredibly excited to announce that Quinn Cynor has been named the new Director of Competitive Swimming for the DeKalb County Swim Team! For DCST, this is an especially exciting homecoming. Coach Quinn is a DCST alumnus who went on to compete as an NCAA Division I swimmer and qualify for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials! Quinn also brings a strong educational background with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s degree in Health Promotion. This summer, our swimmers have already had the opportunity to work with him as both a strength and swim coach, allowing him to get to know our athletes, families, team culture, and community. As he steps into this leadership role, Coach Quinn will focus on developing swimmers at every age and ability level, with an emphasis on technical excellence, progressive strength training, athlete development, and creating more competitive opportunities for our swimmers. Once a Big Dog, always a Big Dog! We couldn’t be more excited to welcome one of our own into this new role and see where Coach Quinn leads DCST next!

Paula Hastings New Illinois YMCA Officials Chair

By Swim DCST • August 9, 2026
The DeKalb County Swim Team is proud to congratulate Paula Hastings on her election as the Illinois YMCA Swimming Officials Chair! Paula has been an important part of DCST’s competitive swimming program for many years. She has generously shared her time, experience, and leadership in numerous capacities—including Entry Chairperson, Meet Referee, Administrative Referee, Officials Coordinator and Northwest District State Committee representative. Whether she has been managing meet entries and administrative details, coordinating officials or serving on deck, Paula’s work has helped DCST conduct organized, professional and fair competitions for our swimmers and visiting teams. Much of the work required to run a successful swim meet happens behind the scenes, and we sincerely thank Paula for everything she has done—and continues to do—for DCST and the Kishwaukee Family YMCA swimming community. Her election as Illinois YMCA Swimming Officials Chair recognizes her knowledge, dedication and longstanding commitment to swimmers, coaches and officials throughout Illinois. DCST looks forward to continuing to work with Paula at upcoming YMCA and USA Swimming-sanctioned DCST meets, including welcoming her back as a Meet Referee whenever assignments, schedules, and availability allow. Please join the entire DCST community in congratulating Paula on this well-deserved statewide leadership position!

Winter 2026 Registration Is Now Open

By Swim DCST • July 26, 2026
Registration for Stroke Clinic, Rookie Week, and for the Winter 2026 season is now open.

Become A Swim Official

By Swim DCST • June 2, 2026
DCST Needs You! Become a Swim Official! Have you ever wished for a better seat at swim meets? Want a front-row view of your swimmer’s races while making a difference for our team? The DeKalb County Swim Team is looking for parent volunteers to become certified USA Swimming Officials! Why become an official? Get closer to the action on deck Learn more about the sport your child loves Support fair and successful swim meets Meet great people and become more involved with the swim community Enjoy food, drinks, and the best seat in the house! The best part? Training is now available online and can be completed mostly on your own schedule. No prior experience is necessary—just a willingness to learn and support our swimmers. Our team cannot host quality meets without the dedication of volunteers, and becoming an official is one of the most impactful ways you can help DCST continue to grow and thrive. Every official started as a swim parent. Why not you?

DCST Wins NW District Championship 2025-2026

By Swim DCST • March 19, 2026
second year nw district champions

Big Dog Pride

By Swim DCST • March 19, 2026
πŸΎπŸ’™ BIG DOG PRIDE πŸ’™πŸΎ We are beyond excited to congratulate Norah Shearer on being elected as the new Illinois YMCA Swimming Athlete State Representative! πŸŽ‰πŸŠ‍♀️ This is an incredible achievement and an important leadership role. As a representative, Norah will help coordinate and support YMCA swim teams across Illinois while serving as the voice for YMCA swimmers at the national level—communicating directly with the national YMCA Swimming Committee. Norah’s dedication, leadership, and passion for the sport make her the perfect choice for this role. We are so very proud of her and know she will represent the Big Dogs with excellence, integrity, and heart. πŸ’™πŸΆ Congratulations , Norah—we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you accomplish! πŸ’«

DCST Attends 2025 YMCA LC NATIONALS

By Swim DCST • August 27, 2025
dcst brings 7 athletes to summer lc nationals