The start of the 2009 - 2010 winter season marks the beginning of Coach Bickner’s sixteenth year as the Senior Coach of DCST. In his first fifteen years, DCST has had 1 Combined Illinois / Missouri Area State Championship, 2 Boys Illinois / Missouri Area State Championships, 2 Girls Illinois / Missouri Area State Championship, 59 YMCA National Qualifiers, 24 National All-Americans in 96 individual and 26 relay events, 69 Illinois / Missouri Area State Champions, 14 North Central Illinois Conference Team Championships, 13 Illinois Area State Age Group Team Championship and 1 Deaf Olympic Games Qualifier (3 Gold and 1 Bronze Medal). In those thirteen years, DCST has grown from 67 swimmers in his first season to its current size of over 160 swimmers.
Before coaching with DCST, Bickner was an Assistant Coach with the Ann Arbor Swim Club Y. He also spent two years working with the University of Michigan Football Team during their 1992 and 1993 Rose Bowl years. Bickner swam competitively for DCST for eleven years while growing up in Sycamore. He represented DCST for three years at the national level in the 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 50 Free, 100 Free and on numerous relays. Coach Bickner’s wife, Amy, is also a former swimmer and coach. Brian and Amy have three girls Ava (5),Callie (4) and Brooklyn (born 4/09). In addition to swimming, Brian enjoys water skiing, fishing and scuba diving.