Thank You For A Great 2025!
2025 was one of the best years in our program’s history.
At the heart of everything we accomplished in 2025 was a renewed commitment to building a unified, connected team culture across all levels of the program. One of our primary goals for the year was to create greater cohesiveness from our Superstars and Lion groups all the way up to our athletes traveling nationally to compete, and that goal came to life in meaningful ways throughout the season.
We intentionally created opportunities for athletes to connect beyond their training groups. Through initiatives like Race to Rep the Country, our athletes qualifying for the USA World Championship Trials not only represented Schroeder on the national stage but also gave back by coaching our younger swimmers and signing autographs, reinforcing the idea that success is shared across all age groups. We hosted team-wide watching parties leading into YMCA Nationals, allowing athletes of all ages to feel connected to our national level athletes and their achievements, and continued the tradition of our annual Build the Future Picnic.
In the spring, our divers, masters, and swimming programs competed at the YMCA National Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our youth swimmers had an outstanding competition, with the women winning the team championship and the men finishing as runners-up. As a program, Schroeder placed second overall in the combined standings.
Schroeder had four swimmers qualify for the USA World Championship Trials in Indianapolis. To finish the summer, our young swimmers placed second at the Wisconsin State Championships, and Schroeder took a strong group to the USA Junior Swim & Dive Championships in Southern California. This marked one of the best performances at this level in program history, highlighted by Schroeder athlete Margaret Dickinson, who was recognized as a USA Junior National Team member based on her performances. In addition, for the fifth consecutive year, Schroeder was recognized as a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club, placing the program among the top 100 clubs in the country. Schroeder was ranked 33rd nationally, one of the highest rankings in team history, if not the highest.
More recently, Schroeder had seven athletes competing at the USA Winter Junior Championships in Austin, and the 12 & Under swimmers finished third at the Single Age State Championships.
By any measure, it was a fantastic year of performance in the pool. However, the most significant feature of Schroeder youth programs is the incorporation of character development into the fabric of our programs. The Schroeder staff recognizes that while performance is vital, sport is a powerful vehicle for developing youth into better citizens.
Beyond performance, 2025 marked one of the most significant transitions in Schroeder’s history as the program split into three separate entities: Schroeder Swim Team LLC, Schroeder Dive LLC, and WSAC LTD. Simultaneously, long-time Program Director Dave Anderson retired, and ownership transitioned to the group of Caleb Hernday, Phil Davies, and Chandler Lewis.
In the fall, shortly after the inception of the new ownership group, the YMCA Boilers were significantly impacted by flooding on August 9th. This devastation forced all programs out of the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center and into nine separate locations for nearly two months, impacting training schedules, meet dates, and competition locations. Throughout these challenges, our families, athletes, and coaches were outstanding, and we cannot thank our members and coaching staff enough for their patience, resilience, and support.
We are extremely proud of how our community responded in 2025 and excited to continue the excellence the program has demonstrated for many years.
We look forward to building on this momentum and having an amazing 2026
