Hillary Fitts’ journey to becoming the head coach for the Hofstra University field hockey team is a unique one. From taking up the game in high school, to being a college walk-on and finding herself drawn back to the game after graduation, Fitts’ journey is not the typical one. But that might be exactly what Hofstra’s field hockey team.

Fitts’ was hired on March 15, 2024, as the new head coach of the university’s field hockey program. After a five-year coaching tenure at the College of William & Mary, Fitts brought her talents to Hempstead, replacing former head coach Courtney Veinotte who left to pursue other career opportunities.

If it wasn’t for how the athletic seasons ran in Delaware high schools, Fitts might have never gotten into field hockey.

“I started [playing field hockey] in high school my freshman year,” Fitts said. “In Delaware, where I grew up, soccer was in the spring, so I thought to myself ‘what do I do? I need to do a sport,’ and that’s when I picked up field hockey.”

After taking up the game, Fitts had some make up work to do to get recruited for college field hockey.

“I pretty much was fully ready to go to college for soccer,” Fitts said “I probably would’ve said yes to some of the schools that offered me a scholarship, but then something about field hockey, I thought, well there’s so much more room for growth. And I’d love to play in college and see where this takes me.”

Fitts was accepted to the University of Fairfield in Connecticut as a student, but because she started the field hockey recruiting process so late, she had to try out as a walk-on.

“I didn’t want to play for Delaware,” Fitts said “I had family around Fairfield, so I already knew the area. I contacted the head coach at the time, Jackie Kane, to let her know I would be attending the school and wanted to walk-on. I did a camp over that summer and at the end of it she basically told me, ‘see you in August.’”

After her four years at Fairfield, Fitts graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing. The next year, in 2015, Fitts rejoined the Stags as an assistant coach.

In Fitts’ senior season with the Stags, she earned Second Team all-conference honors in the American East as midfield.

“I worked in finance for about two and a half years and did volunteer coaching on the side,” Fitts said. “I found myself asking [Kane] ‘can I help volunteer’ every day. I found myself there one day a week, then two days, then three, then, all of the sudden, it was every day. Eventually by 2017 I became a full-time coach.”

As an assistant coach at Fairfield, the Stags celebrated some serious accomplishments. Fitts helped guide her alma mater to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships in 2015 and 2017. She also had numerous all-conference and all-region players under her tutelage.

In 2019, Fitts moved on from Fairfield and became an assistant coach at the College of William & Mary before being promoted to associate head coach in 2022.

The Tribe experienced a top 20 finish in the AP poll in 2019, and a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference championship in 2023. The change from assistant coach to associate head coach provided Fitts with the experience needed for a future position as head coach.

“[As the associate head coach] I became in charge of recruiting, travel logistics and alumni engagement,” Fitts said.

With the departure of Veinotte last winter, the head coach position became available at Hofstra. Fitts knew that Hofstra would be a good fit for her.

“When you see [another] team in your conference, they [can be] very [like-minded],” Fitts said. “I have friends and family on Long Island, so I was very familiar with the area. There’s so much talent on the team. I think taking that talent and making it less individualistic and more team oriented is where they were at. I knew what this team could do, it was only a matter of time before we’d get it done.”

Fitts has now spent the better part of six months on Long Island. Her systems and style of play have been noticeably different from how the team operated in years past.

What makes Fitts different is her early affiliation with other sports. Having played basketball, soccer and field hockey all at high levels, Fitts attacks problems differently due to her wide understanding of tactics and strategies from other sports and her ability to bring them into field hockey.

Fitts preaches versatility as a key factor in becoming a good athlete. After transitioning from soccer to field hockey, she was thrown another curveball while playing for Fairfield.

“Being adaptable is a big part [of coaching],” Fitts said “I came in as a forward my freshman year. Then, one of our starting defenders was injured so I ended up moving to the right half back position. My last two years, I played right midfield.”

Fitts’ experience and versatility seeps into the way she coaches. This season, the Pride has had to get comfortable playing uncomfortable positions. Full-time defender Teresa Karoff is excelling at playing midfield and midfielder Tara McNally has returned to the backline, where she played her freshman and sophomore years.

Fitts’ mark on the team has been felt, even in her short tenure. Aside from who is playing at what position, the team also plays a different attacking style.

“I’m hoping to have a combo offense this year depending on where we gain possession of the ball,” Fitts said. “If we gain possession near the attacking half of the field, I want to play a controlled, possession-based attack that tries to gain lots of corners. If we get possession on our defensive half of the field, I still want to be deadly in transition like we were last year.”

Fitts started her coaching career at Hofstra with a 3-0 loss to No. 18 Old Dominion University and two close losses to University of Maine and University of Central Michigan.

Fitts’ first win with the Pride came on Friday, Sept. 13, when Hofstra defeated Sacred Heart University 2-1 in the shootout. The Pride then followed it up by defeating Long Island University 3-2, earning Fitts’ first win at Cindy Lewis Stadium.

The Pride are now 2-5 in the Hillary Fitts era but are aiming high to compete for a spot in the CAA conference tournament, a place Hofstra has failed to qualify for since 2015.

Photo courtesy of Joe Orovitz