In her first season, the Thunder showed marked improvement despite an inexperienced roster, finishing with an overall record of 3-12. Dugan coached goalie Audrey Poteet to the second-best saves per game mark in the nation in Poteet's first season of collegiate lacrosse. Offensively, the team averaged its highest scoring mark in four seasons.

The Thunder took another step in the right direction under Dugan's leadership during the 2018 season. The team finished the season with a 5-11 record, recording the most wins by the team since 2013. Trine finished sixth in the MIAA standings, a two-place improvement over the year before, and was in contention for the final spot in the MIAA tournament until the final week of the season.

Dugan has coached two players to All-MIAA selection in her short tenure as coach. Rebecca Plantz (DeWitt, Mich. / DeWitt) became the first in 2018 with Mia Schlueter (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carrol) following in 2019. It is just the second time that the Thunder have had players selected All-MIAA in consecutive seasons.

Dugan previously served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Adrian College for one year. She worked primarily with attackers as a member of the Bulldog coaching staff. Dugan also spent a season as an assistant at Wartburg College (Iowa), where she helped establish a first-year program. She has also coached several successful teams at the club level.

"I'm looking forward to establishing a solid foundation to develop student-athletes to be successful at the next level," said Dugan. "We will look to play at a fast pace that will be exciting for our players to compete in. I'm excited to dive in."

"We're excited to have Dugan lead our women's lacrosse program," said Matt land, assistant vice president of athletics at Trine University. "I believe her energy and enthusiasm, as well as her lacrosse knowledge and playing experience at the Division III level make her a perfect fit for Trine University."

In addition to her previous coaching experience, Dugan brings a strong playing pedigree from her collegiate experience at Adrian. As a member of the Bulldogs, Dugan was a two-time All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association performer as an attacker. She graduated as the program's sixth all-time leading scorer with 159 points.

Dugan was a part of four teams that went undefeated in conference play and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament. Her teams advanced to the second round of the NCAA postseason twice.