By Matt Gade

605 Sports

NORTH SIOUX CITY — A strong start to the Class A state golf tournament on Monday helped Dakota Valley’s Katie Betsworth manage to hold off a pair of former state champions, St. Thomas More’s Kaitlin Strain and Rylan Horning, to claim the Class A state title on Tuesday.

Playing at Dakota Valley’s home course, the Two Rivers Golf Club, Betsworth shot a combined 138 for a two-under total.

“It feels pretty good, like all the work has paid off, and I just feel like we all came together as a team when we needed to,” Betsworth said. “I'm just kind of soaking in the moment right now.

“It felt amazing,” Betsworth said of the crowd. “I had so many supporters out here today, and they just did a really great job supporting us.”

On the 18th hole, Betsworth sank a 5-foot putt for par to edge out Strain who finished 1-over on the hole and who finished 1-under par (139).

“I knew (the green) was a slight breaker,” Betsworth said. “I made sure to read it extra good, and I was pretty much just hoping it went in. It was a big putt. I can tell you that.”

St. Thomas More’s Rylan Horning, the state champion in 2023 and 2025, finished one over (141) and took third place at the state meet.

Betstworth and the Dakota Valley Panthers finished second as a team behind St. Thomas More.

St. Thomas More finished with a 606 (+46) ahead of Dakota Valley’s 622 (+62) and third-place Vermillion’s 626 (+66). 

“It feels amazing,” Betsworth said of second place as a team. “I'm just proud of this whole entire team, and how much work we put in this whole entire season.”

Top-25 individual scores: 1,Katie Betsworth, Dakota Valley,138; 2,Kaitlin Strain,St. Thomas More, 139; 3,Rylan Horning, St. Thomas More,141; 4,Addicyn Sailer,Dakota Valley,143; 5,Georgia Johnson,Vermillion, 150; 6,Trey Speer,Chamberlain, 152; T7,Kenzley Heath,Sisseton,153; T7,Ronnie Wilharm,Vermillion, 153; T9,Tori Peterson,Sioux Falls Christian,154; T9,Claire Crawford, Aberdeen Roncalli, 154; T9,Delilah Maxwell,Madison, 154; 12,Lexi Sommervold,Beresford, 156; 13,Taylor Reuvers,Vermillion, 157; 14,Chloe Attema,Sioux Falls Christian, 158; T15,Kaia Bear,Beresford, 159; T15,Alexis Nerison,Sioux Falls Christian,159; T15,Aubrie VanBeek,Sioux Falls Christian,159; 18,Sienna Maxwell,Madison, 160;

T19,Claire Wiebelhaus,Dakota Valley,161; T19,Blaire Eberhard,West Central,161; 21,Mara Wilkening,St. Thomas More, 162; 22,Grace Seyer,Aberdeen Roncalli, 163; 23,Finley Young,St. Thomas More, 164; T24,Brooklyn Wiebe,Canton, 165: T24, Avery Heibult,Sioux Falls Christian,165