Although Dressel prefers to keep this part of his life private, he did share with the Associated Press that at swim meets, he always carries a blue and black, cow patterned bandana, which previously belonged to his high school maths teacher, Claire McCool, who died from breast cancer in 2017. "It's just something special that I get to hold on to that represents her, something physical," he explained. Mrs. McCool was a longtime supporter and confidant of Dressel's. Her bandana was gifted to Dressel by her husband after her death. "She's with me every race, and she will be until I finish my career," Dressel told Swimming World in 2018.