Micaela Dugan enters her third season as an undergraduate assistant coach with Stanford women’s gymnastics.
Dugan, a fourth-year history major and human biology minor at Stanford, aids the program in practice planning, recovery device management, and skill development on all of the events with a focus on vault and floor. Along with her work in the gym, Dugan helps plan team functions and outings such as banquets and team bonding activities, and is a key contributor to the coordination of apparel purchasing and distribution, team social media activity, and community outreach efforts. Dugan also videotapes competition routines and provides post-competition analysis, assisting head coach Tabitha Yim at all team competitions, while working with the marketing department on promotional plans to increase fan interest and attendance.
The Illinois native began gymnastics at one year of age and trained at Illinois Gymnastics Institute where she was an Illinois State champion in all-around or an apparatus every year she competed at the Illinois State meet in Levels 4 - 10. In 2015, Dugan was the Level 10 Illinois State All-Around, Floor, Bars, and Vault Champion, the Region 5 Floor Champion, and NIT National Floor Champion. She qualified Elite Compulsory the same year as well. Initially a recruit to the Stanford women’s gymnastics program, injuries sustained in a car accident ended Dugan’s gymnastics career prematurely. Although her career as a gymnast had come to an end, her love for the sport and support from the SWG team and coaching staff drew her to continue in the sport, leading her to transition into the undergraduate student assistant coach at Stanford.