Maria Fitzgerald (curler)
| Maria Fitzgerald | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 2004 Halifax, Nova Scotia | ||||||||||||||
| Team | |||||||||||||||
| Curling club | Halifax CC, Halifax | ||||||||||||||
| Skip | Taylour Stevens | ||||||||||||||
| Third | Maria Fitzgerald | ||||||||||||||
| Second | Alison Umlah | ||||||||||||||
| Lead | Cate Fitzgerald | ||||||||||||||
Curling career  | |||||||||||||||
| Member Association |  Nova Scotia | ||||||||||||||
| Hearts appearances | 1 (2026) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
Maria Fitzgerald (born January 29, 2004) is a Canadian curler from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[1] She is a former Canadian junior champion and World junior bronze medallist.
Career
Juniors
Fitzgerald made her national debut at the 2022 Canadian U18 Curling Championships, playing third for the Nova Scotia 1 rink, skipped by Marin Callaghan, after the team won the provincial Under 18 championship.[2] At the Canadian U18 Championships, the team finished with a 5–1 record on the group stage, before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Two years later, Fitzgerald won the Nova Scotia Junior Women's Curling Championship, playing third for Allyson MacNutt.[2] The team represented Nova Scotia 1 at the 2024 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, going undefeated in 10 games en route to the gold medal,[1] defeating Ontario's Julia Markle rink in the final.[3] The team then represented Canada at the 2025 World Junior Curling Championships. There, they squeaked into the playoffs with a 5–4 record. They then lost to Germany in the semifinal before beating Sweden in the bronze medal game.[4]
As Canadian Junior champions, the team earned a berth in the 2024 PointsBet Invitational. There, the team upset Kerri Einarson in their first game,[5] before being eliminated by Kate Cameron in the Elite 8.[6]
Women's
In women's play, Fitzgerald was the alternate on the Taylour Stevens rink at the 2022 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the provincial women's championship. There, the rink went 4–3.
The MacNutt junior rink played in the 2024 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts as a warm-up for the Canadian Juniors that year. There, the team lost all three of their games.[7] The team had more success at the 2025 Nova Scotia championship, where they lost in the semifinal.[8]
In 2025, Fitzgerald joined back up with Taylour Stevens, this time playing third on her team. The rink won the 2026 provincial championship, earning the right to represent Nova Scotia at the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Canada's national women's curling championship.[9] There, the team finished pool play with a 6–2 record, qualifying the rink for the championship round. There, they were eliminated by their provincial rivals, Team Christina Black, who had pre-qualified for the Hearts. It was the first time two teams from Nova Scotia played each other in the playoffs at the Hearts.[10]
Personal life
Fitzgerald is currently a psychology student at St. Mary's University. Her sister Cate is also a member of the Stevens rink[1]
External links
References
- ^ a b c "2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ^ a b "Our Champions". Nova Scotia Curling.
- ^ "Nova Scotia's Ally MacNutt rink wins Canadian Under-21 curling championship". PNI Atlantic News.
- ^ "Nova Scotia's Ally MacNutt rink wins world junior curling bronze". The Chronicle Herald.
- ^ "Allyson MacNutt upsets Kerri Einarson in PointsBet Invitational curling". Sportsnet.
- ^ "MacNutt Reaches 2024 PointsBet Invitational Quarters". CurlingZone.
- ^ "MacNutt 0-3 At 2024 Nova Scotties". CurlingZone.
- ^ "MacNutt Reaches 2025 Ocean Contractors Nova Scotia Womens Curling Championship Semifinals". CurlingZone.
- ^ "Nova Scotia's Taylour Stevens rink ready for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts". The Chronicle Herald.
- ^ "Nova Scotia teams make Scotties history in emotional game: 'I'm so proud'". Sportsnet.