Monomoy Girls Golf Wins Last Match To Clinch Postseason, Nauset Also Advancing

BREWSTER – For the Monomoy girls golf team last week, the situation was straightforward: win and in.

 If they bested Nauset on May 20, at the Warriors’ home track (Captains Golf Course) on their senior night, the Sharks would qualify for the South Sectional tournament. Nauset had already qualified. 

The fact it was the third meeting of the season between the two teams and the prior two matches were split — a win for each by a narrow margin — only enhanced the stakes. Monomoy won the first encounter 4-3 while Nauset won the second 4.5-3.5.

In the tiebreaker that Wednesday, the top of Monomoy’s lineup — steered by Ava and Gianna LaRocco — secured the Sharks’ place in the playoffs with a 3.5-2.5 win. Ava, a senior, won 2 up against junior Sophia Silvestri in the first pairing. Gianna, a freshman, followed with a 4-and-3 win against sophomore Finley Williams.

Also for Monomoy, junior Lexi Goode defeated junior Lilah Baer 1 up in the third pairing. For Nauset, junior Emma Levya defeated junior Georgia Storey 2 up, and senior Tiffany Gomez defeated junior Lizzie Cronen 4 and 2. Monomoy freshman Mia Zimmerman and Nauset senior Leah Brown halved their match.

The younger LaRocco, Gianna, started the year as Monomoy’s third golfer, but it took just three matches for her to ascend the lineup into the first group, where she’s played next to her sister Ava ever since. 

“It's definitely been good,” Ava said. “I mean, the main point of us playing together is because we do play better when we play together, so it ends up working out for our lineup better, and it's of course a good experience my senior year getting to play one and two with my sister.”

Said Gianna: “I couldn't imagine golfing with anyone else. She helps me focus. She gives me tips.”

Both have been playing golf since they were little kids. The benefits of playing together for Monomoy are numerous.

“I feel like it's not always all tips,” Gianna said. “If I'm playing awful, then yeah, she'll give me a tip here and there, but I'm just comfortable with her. We have a good bond.”

“I think also just having someone there that will calm you down if you're getting stressed or hit a couple bad shots in a row,” followed Ava.

The Sharks and Warriors were set to play in the South Sectional Wednesday at Foxborough Country Club (after The Chronicle’s deadline). Both teams would be returning to the postseason tournament after appearances in 2025. Ava shot 100 at that tournament, while Gianna also made Monomoy’s lineup as an eighth grader.

Silvestri, for Nauset meanwhile, shot a 92 at last season’s sectional. She advanced to the state championship, where she shot a 99 to finish 38th among a field of 63.

 Nauset’s seniors were a unique group this season. Of the seven total players, four had been on the team since sophomore year. The three others were newcomers in 2026.

That combination of seniors formed a class that’s guided the Warriors to another successful golf season. On senior night last week, the four long-timers were recognized by head coach Brian Hicks for the year-by-year improvement seen by the team during their tenures. Those players were Leah Brown, Posy Maes, Addison Parrott and Ava Garganigo. Nauset increased from six to seven to nine wins during that three-year period.

The Warriors’ senior rookies were Tiffany Gomez, Delaney Kavanaugh and Priscilla LaBranche.

“Our three newcomers have brought enthusiasm, joy and a surprising amount of good golf,” Hicks said during a senior night ceremony before the match against Monomoy.