Florida lacrosse is officially counting down the days to its season opener in Baltimore, Maryland, against No.18 Loyola Maryland on Saturday.
As the team continued with their game-week preparations, one thing they did not anticipate was junior attacker Gianna Monaco leaving the Gators lacrosse program.
Nearly two weeks after becoming one of the five Gators to receive USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason First Team All-American Honors, Monaco decided to step away from Florida for personal reasons. She will not return to the program.
“We wish Gianna all the best in her future endeavors,” head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “We are looking forward to starting the season this week.”
In her junior year in 2025, she was the team's leading goal scorer, tallying 73 goals across the season. In the NCAA tournament alone, she scored 11 of those goals and added five assists.
That performance led Monaco to be ranked among the best individual single-tournament totals in program history, right behind Maggie Hall, who racked up 16 goals and four assists in the 2024 NCAA tournament.
Also during her junior campaign, Monaco totaled 22 assists, recovered 22 ground balls, caused 10 turnovers and had three draw controls. Additionally, she accumulated 14 hat-tricks, making for yet another team high.
Although Monaco’s absence will be felt on the scoreboard, many team members are confident in the scoring depth that exists on this season's roster.
“Frannie Hahn had a great breakout last year, and I know she’s looked awesome this year so far, and so she’s gonna contribute a lot,” junior defender Ashley Dyer said. “I know Clark [Hamilton] has looked great, and she’s contributed a lot. So definitely some big shoes to fill, but I’m very confident in our personnel and who we have on the field, and we’ll fill those shoes.”
Hamilton scored 55 goals, had 15 assists, recovered 18 ground balls, caused three turnovers and had five draw controls as a freshman in the 2025 season. She is the second freshman in program history to record 50 goals in one season, only behind Monaco.
Hahn led the team in assists last season as a redshirt freshman with 59. She totaled 33 goals, won 26 ground balls, caused 9 turnovers, and won 1 draw control.
“It’s definitely gonna make a little bit of a difference in our production statistics-wise, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about, because we do have a lot of depth this year,” junior midfielder Gabbi Koury said. “I think our depth is better than it has been in recent years.”
The Gators have just five days left before they travel up north to many of the players' home state of Maryland to open the season against Loyola Maryland. First draw is at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Contact Coral Uzgiden at cuzgiden@alligator.org. Follow her on X @coraluzgiden.
Coral is a sophomore Sports Journalism student in her first semester with the Alligator covering Lacrosse. She also has experience writing for WRUF and covering beats such as high school football and Gators swim and dive. She is an intern for the Women of the Lowcountry and in her free time enjoys playing waterpolo, going to the gym and being outside.
