Coach Kayleigh has been coaching with DCST for 1.5 years. Her love for swimming began at DCST, where she started her swimming career in 2007 at her first Rookie Week. She loves sprint freestyle, and backstroke. She was most recently the Head Coach of Trails of Algonquin swim team for the last 6 summer seasons and has coached on 3 other swim teams in the past 6 years, including Dundee Dolphins, and Northwest Arkansas Aquatics.

She is an ASCA Level 3 Certified Coach, and a certified personal trainer. She is currently getting certified in Sports Nutrition and continues to strive for new ways to level up along with her team.

Before becoming a coach, she worked as a Welder/ Machinist in IL/ Wisconsin, and a Personal Trainer in Albuquerque. Very active herself, she spends her time camping, hiking, biking, and traveling in her free time. 

Casey began swimming in St. Louis at the age of 10, and continued through age group swimming. His family moved to Illinois where his love for the sport grew after joining a YMCA team. Casey's hard work and discipline led him to qualifying for High School State and then YMCA Nationals before completing his swimming career as a Division I student athlete at Northern Illinois University. His favorite events were the 200 and 400 IM. While at NIU, Casey was an assistant coach for DCST and Head Coach for the Bloomingdale Barracudas for five seasons. In 2000, he stepped away from the pool to begin long distance running, and became certified as a running coach to allow him the opportunity to coach endurance athletes and marathon runners. When Casey's own children joined DCST in 2018, he eagerly returned to the coaching staff,Four years later, he accepted the position of DCST Head Age Group Coach. During his coaching career, Casey has guided numerous athletes, from beginners to YMCA State Qualifiers and Champions. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education and History, as well as a Master's Degree in Educational Ministry. Casey also serves as the Chaplain at Mooseheart Child City and School. He and his family reside in Sycamore, Illinois where he enjoys running, swimming, cheering on his St. Louis Cardinals, and is always willing to talk Star Wars with anyone who'll listen.

Coach Michelle grew up in DeKalb and has always had a passion for swimming. Growing up, she spent summer days in her backyard and began teaching swim lessons at Kishwaukee YMCA at age 14. She swam on the DeKalb-Sycamore Co-op Team and DCST in high school and began coaching for DCST in 2011 until 2018. She started coaching again in 2022 after her two daughters joined the swim team.

Michelle graduated from NIU with a degree in Elementary Education and has worked in the public school system teaching fourth grade and most recently she has been an assistant teacher at a Montessori preschool in Sycamore.  She loves to travel and enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters and dog, Cotton Candy.

Coach David has swam with DCST for 10 years, and has now coached for his first full season. He is attending Kishwaukee Community College. In the fall  he is transfering to Eastern Kentucky University and is majoring PGA management. He also plays on the golf team at Kish, and loves listening to music and watching movies in his free time. 

Coach Aviva started her swimming career at age 4 with the Sterling Stingrays and swam through high school. She loved swimming the 500 and the 100 butterfly. She coached with the Stingrays for 4 years before starting with DCST in the Fall of 2022. Aviva has an adorable labradoodle named Millie Mae, and she also works at Canvas Hair Studio as a hairstylist. She loves coaching all age groups but most often coaches terriers, goldens and huskies. 

Coach Sherry has been involved with DCST for about 5 years. She has been involved with competitive swimming in capacities as a swimmer herself and as a parent volunteer, spanning two decades and four teams; the longer time being a parent of swimmers. She swam in Rockford in her teenage years and enjoyed swimming IM, freestyle, and relays.

Sherry is a music educator and musician. She has had the pleasure of teaching in various educational settings, both musical and non-musical, and playing the violin in a variety of ensembles and venues in the tri-state area. 

She loves to spend time with her family  whether at home or exploring the great outdoors. 

Coach Emma swam at Illinois Wesleyan University and loved swimming distance events and breaststroke. For her full time job, she works in Human Resources. In her free time she loves to read. A fun fact about her is that she has four siblings and they all swam!

Coach Erin is a Sycamore native and former DCST swimmer. She has always had a love for the water, spending endless summers in the pool in her grandparents’ backyard. Her favorite events while she was competing were the 100 IM and 50 Butterfly.  Erin returned to DCST as an assistant coach in the winter of 2023. She is passionate about teaching and believes in building a strong foundation of technique and discipline, while also instilling a love and passion for the sport in young swimmers. She is dedicated to helping kids develop not only as athletes, but as individuals, instilling confidence, teamwork, and perseverance.

Erin was a previous lifeguard and swim lesson instructor. After graduating from Sycamore High School, she moved to Colorado where she continued her studies, worked as a restaurant manager, and had the privilege to doctor calves on one of the largest cattle ranches in the region. The time spent there taught her incredible patience and compassion. She remained a dedicated swimmer in her free time. 

After more than ten years, Erin returned to the DeKalb area. She is married and currently homeschools her three children, 2 of whom are on the team. She is also a student of English and Philosophy at Arizona State University and plans to continue for an MA in Classical Education. When she isn’t reading, you can find her whipping up baked goods for family and friends or feebly attempting to grow something in her small garden.