Doug Heighton enters his third year on the Truman State University swimming coaching staff in 2026-27 and his second season as assistant men's and women's swimming coach after serving as the Bulldogs' interim head coach during the 2025-26 campaign.
Heighton joined the Truman State staff in August 2024 and quickly became an integral part of the program's training, recruiting, and athlete development efforts. He works with swimmers across a variety of disciplines, including sprint, middle-distance, distance, and individual medley events, while also contributing to meet preparation, performance analysis, and program operations.
During the 2025-26 season, Heighton served as interim head coach and oversaw a roster of more than 40 student-athletes. In that role, he coordinated recruiting efforts, managed budgets and team travel, planned training programs and strength workouts, and directed all aspects of the Bulldogs' competitive schedule. Under his leadership, Truman swimmers earned three podium finishes at the GLVC Championships, including two individual All-GLVC performances and one All-GLVC relay. He also coached a Bulldog swimmer who reset the Truman State records in both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke multiple times during the season and finished among the top 40 nationally in Division II in the 200 backstroke.
As an assistant coach, Heighton has helped modernize the program's approach to athlete development and performance tracking. He collaborated on the design of new methods for monitoring season progression, introduced training intensity systems to help swimmers better understand practice objectives, and utilized video analysis to assist athletes with technical improvements. He has also played a significant role in recruiting efforts, including the development of strategies aimed at attracting international student-athletes to Truman State.
Prior to arriving in Kirksville, Heighton served as a volunteer assistant coach at Kenyon College, one of the nation's premier collegiate swimming programs. During his time with the Owls, he contributed to both the men's and women's teams' NCAA Championship success, helping the women's team capture a national title and the men's team finish as national runner-up. His responsibilities included practice planning, equipment management, recruiting support, meet operations, and athlete development. He also assisted in coaching national-level swimmers, international medalists, and Olympic Trials qualifiers.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Heighton has worked at numerous elite swim camps across the country, including camps hosted by Ohio State, Texas A&M, Missouri, Indiana, Virginia, and Texas. These opportunities have allowed him to work alongside some of the sport's top coaches while gaining experience with athletes at every stage of development.
Known for his analytical approach to training and commitment to athlete growth, Heighton continues to play a key role in advancing Truman State's tradition of excellence in the pool and in the classroom.
