He joined the Panther program after spending three seasons in a similar role at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina.

During his three years at Lenoir-Rhyne, the Bears posted an overall record of 41-10, including a perfect 24-0 mark during South Atlantic Conference regular-season play over that span. FitzGerald was part of a coaching staff that helped guide the program to a 2016 SAC Tournament title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017. During the 2018 season, the team achieved a No. 3 national ranking and an NCAA Semifinal appearance as the top seed in the south region.

FitzGerald assisted in coaching one of the top ranked offenses in the country with 14.35 goals per game in 2018, as well as the man-up unit that scored on 44.4 percent of its attempts. During his three seasons, he coached five All-Americans and recruited two South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year award winners. FitzGerald also received his master’s in business administration from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2018.

A graduate of Guilford College in 2015, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in business administration. FitzGerald played all four years for the Quakers as a midfielder, attack and face-off specialist. He also studied abroad during his undergraduate years in Siena, Italy, coaching Italian lacrosse teams and helped with clinics to help grow the game overseas.

A native of New London, New Hampshire, FitzGerald played at Kearsarge Regional High School under head coach and Middlebury alumni Mike Heffernan ’82.