Who Is Caeleb Dressel’s Wife? All About Meghan Dressel

After meeting in high school, Caeleb Dressel and his wife, Meghan Dressel (née Haila), decided to take the plunge.

Caeleb was the first swimmer to win eight medals in one world championship in 2019 and took home five gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics. However, no prize could beat marrying his longtime girlfriend Meghan, who has compared their relationship to the enduring love from 2004’s The Notebook.

“What started with these couple of kids crazy about each other, has turned into the promise of a lifetime of love that would give Noah and Allie a run for their money,” Meghan captioned an Instagram photo on Valentine’s Day 2020 of them embracing. “I’ve loved you since 2013 and I can’t wait to keep loving you forever.”

Though Caeleb — who PEOPLE named Sexiest Olympian in the 2021 Sexiest Man Alive issue — has accomplished a lot in swimming, he is equally focused on making a splash outside the pool and in his marriage.

“I want to be a better son, a better brother, a better husband, better dog owner,” he said. “Every aspect of my life I want to be better at in some way.”

In February 2024, Meghan and Caeleb became parents for the first time when they welcomed their son, August Wilder.

So, who is Caeleb Dressel’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Meghan Dressel and her relationship with the Olympic gold medalist.

She met Caeleb in high school

Caeleb and Meghan’s relationship began when they were both teenage competitive swimmers from neighboring towns in Florida.

“We grew up swimming together but lived 45 minutes apart,” Meghan told First Coast News in August 2021.

The pair even competed on the same team. “Meghan and I swam at [the] Bolles [School Sharks] together in the late-night group because we didn’t go to school there,” Caeleb told FINA Aquatics World Magazine in April 2020. “She mainly did breaststroke.”

The two formed a friendship and, eventually, fell in love. “10/10 recommend falling in love with your best friend,” she captioned an Instagram photo of them holding hands in honor of Valentine’s Day 2019.

She has a master’s degree

Speaking with FINA Aquatics World Magazine, Caeleb shared that Meghan swam competitively until her sophomore year as an undergrad at Florida State University in Tallahassee. She stopped competing “to pursue her dream of becoming a child-family counselor.”

Meghan then attended graduate school at the same university, earning her master’s and education specialist degree in “marriage and family therapy” in 2020. She reflected on her studies in an Instagram post featuring a series of photos in her graduation cap and gown.

“I knew this program would be tough before I even started (#2 program in the nation people!!) but what I wasn’t prepared for was just what that hard meant,” Meghan wrote.

“The ways in which I would be challenged, pushed, and stretched has lead to growth in places and ways I never imagined, and friendships that formed deeper than I ever knew I needed,” she added.

She got engaged to Caeleb in 2019

After six years of dating, Caeleb popped the question in November 2019. As Meghan later wrote on Instagram, it was “the easiest yes” of her life.

Caeleb and Meghan shared the details of the surprise proposal with First Coast News, revealing that the special moment happened at a sentimental location for them.

“I proposed at our original meeting spot,” he said. “We did long distance for, technically, seven years. We never lived in the same city, so we had a meeting spot at the … Shands Pier.”

Caeleb added, “I took her there, [and] she thought we were doing a photo shoot. I did it right at the old pier.”

She married Caeleb in 2021

A year after their engagement, Caeleb and Meghan tied the knot in a pre-Valentine’s Day wedding on Feb. 13, 2021. The couple exchanged vows before family and friends during an outdoor ceremony in Jacksonville, Florida.

Caeleb wore a classic black tuxedo with a white bowtie, while Meghan walked down the aisle in a white form-fitting lace dress with a long veil. The bride finished her look with a half-up, half-down hairstyle and a winter-inspired dark bouquet.

Meghan posted wedding day pictures on Instagram the next day to celebrate the milestone and called the event “a dream.” The following month, she shared further reflection, including feeling speechless.

“As a therapist, feelings [and] words are my bread and butter. And I have to say, I have no words to describe what this ceremony felt like other than, Jesus,” Meghan wrote alongside snaps of emotional moments between her and Caeleb.

She continued, “Every step, every breath, every word, was wrapped and carried with such warmth and outpouring of love that I truly did not know existed on this Earth; and surely had never experienced before.”

She and Caeleb share one child

Caeleb and Meghan welcomed their first child, a baby boy named August Wilder Dressel, on Feb. 17, 2024.

“Mom and Dad were in it together, and we had the intervention free birth that we had so hoped and prepared for,” the new mom wrote on Instagram. “It was more raw, incredible and beautiful than we ever could have dreamed of. August, you have forever changed our world and our hearts.”

She cheers for Caeleb at swimming competitions

Meghan went to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics to support Caeleb. However, she had to watch her husband compete in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She still supported the swimmer from afar alongside his family and together they watched him win gold in the men’s 100m freestyle. Afterward, Caeleb spoke to Meghan and the rest of his loved ones remotely.

“We love you so much. We’re so proud of you,” she said in a heartfelt video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

A couple of weeks later, he told PEOPLE in August 2021 that he’s good at hiding his emotions. “I can put a pretty good show on throughout the Games and stuff things in and not let anything out. But the moment the race is over, it’s all going to come out,” the athlete added.

Both Meghan and August were in the stands at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Caeleb and his teammates won gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

She has helped Caeleb focus on his mental health

After his record-breaking win at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Caeleb said he needed to prioritize his mental health.

“That’s the biggest goal after coming back from Tokyo: being able to breathe,” he told PEOPLE in the 2021 Sexiest Man Alive issue. “I would like to prioritize myself a little bit more instead of swimming.”

One way Meghan has helped Caeleb focus on himself is by distracting him with a classic TV show.

“Meghan started watching Gilmore Girls, and it’s so good,” he said. “So I’ve been tearing up some Gilmore Girls.”

Caeleb also revealed to PEOPLE in 2022 that he had dealt with panic attacks and depression as a teen. Even then, Meghan was there to give her support.

“Being patient and clinging on to the people I was comfortable talking with made me feel more human and made this situation feel like a much more manageable thing to cope with,” he said.

She says Caeleb is the “same goofball” despite fame

Having spent years dating long distance, Meghan said the two “just make time for each other whenever” they can.

“We’ve made it work for two years now being across [the] state,” Meghan told Odyssey in September 2016 after the Rio Olympics. “I think because we’ve had to deal with distance, it’s made us stronger as a couple.”

In addition to living miles apart, Meghan has had to navigate their relationship with the added pressure of her husband’s fame. Still, she hasn’t let herself become starstruck by the swimming superstar.

“To me, he is just Caeleb — the same guy I grew up swimming with and the same goofball that runs around with a chicken hat on,” she added. “He is just the same Caeleb to me.”