Senior swimmer Jane MacDougall has had success in the pool, but her biggest achievements at LSU have occurred on dry land.
MacDougall has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for all three years in her educational studies.
MacDougall said some of her professors recommended that she get a dual-certification in elementary and special education, as she hopes to teach children with special needs.
“I like working with those kids,” MacDougall said. “I really feel like it can be a challenge, but I rise to that challenge and enjoy it.”
Teaching special-needs children led MacDougall to another passion of hers last semester — MacDougall began her involvement as a volunteer for the Special Olympics.
She now coaches swimming for the Special Olympics on Thursdays.
“I got involved with Special Olympics, and I loved it even more,” MacDougall said.
MacDougall says that she has always desired to give back and help those around her.
Her coaches and teammates recognize her philanthropic efforts. Whenever an organization asks the LSU swim team for help, coach Dave Geyer says that MacDougall is already there.
“She does things on her own accord,” Geyer said. “It is not because people tell her she should do service. It is because she enjoys helping people.”
MacDougall’s service has also set her up to be a leader on the team.
This year the LSU Lady Tigers swim team has 11 freshmen, and only one senior: MacDougall. The star swimmer is up for the challenge of leading a young team.
MacDougall said that despite the team being short on experience, they work well together.
“It is cool to have those three years behind me,” MacDougall said. “I definitely feel like more of a leader. The incoming freshmen are so awesome. I get to show them what I have learned, and I hope to make their experience as good as mine is.”
MacDougall’s confidence in leading the team is due in large part to her success as an LSU Lady Tiger.
She set three top 10 LSU times in her first season, and finished 26th at the 2015 SEC Championships in the mile swim with the sixth fastest time in LSU history. She has made it to SEC championships in each of her previous three seasons.
Her collegiate success has been preceded by her high school swimming performance in Canada. MacDougall was invited to compete in trials for the Commonwealth Games, the second largest international competition behind the Olympics, and won a silver medal in the 4×200 meter relay in the 2013 Canadian Senior Nationals.
That success made transitioning to SEC competition difficult, but MacDougall says she learned to accept making it to competition.
“Competing in Manitoba, which is a really small area, I was used to coming in first every time,” MacDougall said. “That is a great feeling. And then you come here, and it so different. It is a huge deal to make a final.”
While MacDougall was not recruited to be the only senior on this roster, injuries and transfer have left her as the lone survivor.
“It sort of became just Jane,” Geyer said. “We want to make this season special for her and memorable. She is in a good place mentally, and physically, to have the most successful year that she has had this season.”
LSU junior swimmer Jane MacDougall competes in the Girls 400 Yard Individual Medley in the Tigers' sweep over Houston, Rice and Tulane on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, in the Natatorium.
