Carol MacDougall, the swim coach in the history of Clay High School in Florida, announced that she was retiring at the team’s end-of-season banquet earlier this month. That marks the end of a 35-year run that included coaching one of the most famous high school swimmers in history, Caeleb Dressel.
MacDougall was an elite swimmer herself who swam for the Sarasota Sharks and Sarasota High School in the 1960s alongside future University of Florida head coach Gregg Troy. The two would have a long career overlap. Troy helped MacDougall land her first assistant coaching job when Troy was the head coach at the Bolles Schools, and Dressel eventually would swim for Troy at the University of Florida
She was Clay High School’s first swim coach when they added a team in 1993, though she has popped in and out of the program in that time.
MacDougall called the 2013 “group of four” that included Dressel, but also Dakota Mahaffey, Grady Heath, and Matt Bonna the highlight of her career.
“Five guys getting fifth at state as a team was a feat that no one will probably ever see again. Caeleb never talked about his stuff, but about being friends with his Blue Devil team,” MacDougall told Clay Today.
She leaves the program in good hands for her successor: The Clay High School girls finished 25th and the boys finished 37th at the Florida 3A High School State Championship Meet, lifted in part by a talented freshman Noah Stotler.
Forever in debt to Coach Carol in helping me transition to coaching in Clay County. Proud of you, Carol.
Coach Carol was one of my first coaches in the sport many years ago! Congrats on a great career and inspiring so many of us along the way!
Shame on y’all for not including Carol’s name in the headline.