Pilgrim Plunge 2026
Swim DCST
November 5, 2026
THE DOG POUND IS ABOUT TO GET LOUD!
DCST PILGRIM PLUNGE | NOVEMBER 7–8, 2026
The countdown is ON! We’re kicking off our FIRST YMCA Invitational Meet of the season, and the excitement is already building!
With an incredible number of entries, we’re gearing up for a weekend packed with fast swims, fierce competition, team spirit, and BIG DOG ENERGY!
We’re thrilled to welcome swimmers, coaches, and families from visiting teams to the Kishwaukee Family YMCA for two days of racing, cheering, and making memories!
At DCST, we believe a great swim meet is about more than fast times. It’s about bringing teams together, celebrating every swimmer, building friendships, and creating an atmosphere that makes everyone want to come back year after year!
New season. New goals. Big opportunities.
To all our visiting YMCA teams — WELCOME TO THE DOG POUND! We’re ready to show you what DCST hospitality is all about!
Kishwaukee Family YMCA | Sycamore, IL
November 7–8, 2026
LET’S PACK THE POOL, BRING THE NOISE, AND MAKE WAVES!
Important Information
- Enter through Door B on the east side of the Kishwaukee Family YMCA
- Parents and swimmers will camp in the Sports Court
- Concessions will be available
- Meet shirts will be available
- All sessions streaming on YouTube
- Officials are still needed! Please contact our officials chair via the Meet Packet if you can assist!
- Visiting Team Information
Saturday, November 7th
- Session 1 — Saturday Morning (8 & Under / 13 & Over) Session Starts 9:10am
- Session 2 — Saturday Afternoon (10 & Under/12 & Under) Session Start: 1:45pm
Sunday, November 8th
Congratulations to Donny's Team Red for winning our first annual Red vs. Black Intrasquad Championship!
We have decided to create an exciting opportunity to establish a new DCST tradition: the inaugural Red vs. Black Intrasquad Meet! Our intention is to make this an annual event that kicks off each short-course season, bringing together swimmers of all ages and abilities for spirited competition, team camaraderie, and Halloween fun! This event will be held as a USA Swimming-sanctioned Block Party Meet , a new, experimental meet format designed to offer greater flexibility and encourage participation in competitive swimming. The meet will operate under applicable USA Swimming technical, safety and athlete-protection rules and the conditions of its sanction. Times achieved at this meet will be recorded in USA Swimming's SWIMS database and can be used for most qualifying purposes, although certain national-level restrictions apply. This meet will not be a YMCA qualifying meet for the minimum meets required.
We wanted to let everyone know that the Kishwaukee Family YMCA will be closing at 12:00 PM on Friday, October 16 , in preparation for its annual Halloween Bash! While our regularly scheduled afternoon and evening practices will be canceled, we will be offering a special morning practice on October 16th from 6 AM to 7:30 AM for the following groups: Bulldogs Newfoundlands Great Danes Nationals
The Winter 2026 season has begun!
DCST families, we’re kicking off the season together! Join us for Back to DCST Night — an afternoon designed to get swimmers and parents ready, connected, and excited for another great season!
You don’t have to already be a competitive swimmer to join the pack!
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
The Winter 2026 season begins Tuesday, September 8!
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.