By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — As a freshman, St. Thomas More’s Rylan Horning accomplished what only one other Cavalier had done in school history: claim an individual state crown in girls’ golf. 

The other individual at the time to have won the state title was Horning’s mother, Ashley Horning (Cariveau), in 1997.

“You know, she always says that I am probably the better golfer,” Rylan said about her mom. “She wasn't as good as me when she was younger, but it's still cool to think that she was in the same position, and especially like hitting bad shots. She's been there, and she knows how it feels.”

Heading into her sophomore season, Horning suffered a season-ending ACL injury during basketball and missed out on her chance to defend her state crown. But that allowed her teammate and the Cavaliers’ number two golfer, Kaitlin Strain, to take the Class A crown in 2024 as an eighth-grader.

Back to full form in 2025, Horning and Strain pushed each other and the rest of the Cavs team, leading to a first-place and second-place crown for Horning, with Strain finishing four strokes behind Horning to finish third at the Class A tournament.

Strain and Horning also helped guide the Cavaliers to their first team title in school history, defeating Sioux Falls Christian by five strokes (680-685) for the Class A state championship. 

Now heading into her senior campaign, Horning could potentially be just the second Class A golfer to win three individual state championships in the three-class era of girls’ golf. Parkston’s Sydney Bormann won four state crowns in a 5-year span.  

St. Thomas More head coach Brandon Kandolin credits Horning for her work on her game, not only during the spring but also throughout the summer, to keep getting better.

“To be able to play at a high level and in a sport that's basically a summer sport, in the short time that they have to hone their skills and be at that level is pretty impressive, and I’m extremely proud of what she's able to do. And Rylan has had a great summer leading up to this (year),” Kandolin said. “She qualified for the Notah Begay (III Junior Golf National Championship). She played in a national tournament down in Louisiana. She's just a true competitor.”

Horning won the Notah Begay III JGNC Arizona Regional Girls 16-18 division with rounds of 67-73 to advance to the championships in Louisiana. 

Horning, who was also named the South Dakota Golf Association’s junior female golfer of the year in 2025, described the Notah Begay tournament as an exciting opportunity to compete with some of the best golfers across the country.

“It was cool to see different competition and just to see better players throughout the entire world, it was a different experience. And also playing in Louisiana was pretty cool,” Horning said.

Despite a lack of golf course access during the winter, Horning said she spent a lot of time in a simulator to keep up with her practice swings. 

With Horning and Strain both having won state titles, Horning said she’s grateful to have a teammate who can push her in practice to be at the top of her game.

“It definitely pushes me to my greatest potential. But it's nice having her on my team, and you know, having other players as good as me to win a state title. You know, it's golf at the end of the day. You know, no pressure. I mean, we'll still be friends,” Horning said with a laugh.

For her success on the course, Horning signed to play Division I golf at South Dakota State University next fall.

“I'm excited. High school is definitely fun, but I can't be in high school forever. I think it's gonna be a good change. And I just love the environment of the team,” Horning said. “I think it will be a good transition.”

While Horning is excited for college, she said she’d like for the Cavaliers to try and claim a second team title while going for her third individual crown.

RELATED: After claiming their first-ever girls’ team state championship in golf, St. Thomas More girls hope to repeat

St. Thomas More’s Rylan Horning puts on hole No. 18 to finish up her round and secure the individual championship during the state girls Class A golf tournament Tuesday June 3, 2025 in Madison. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)