The Ryle Raiders varsity boys golf team won the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference championship Monday, Sept. 14, at Kenton County Golf Course.
Ryle High School Athletics announced the title on X, congratulating Coach McKelvey, Coach Loveless and the players. The program, based in Union, has been building toward this result all season.
The Raiders opened the 2026 campaign with tournament wins at both Pendleton County and Highlands, bringing hardware back to Ryle before conference play began. Those early results signaled a team capable of competing for a conference crown.
Ryle's roster features some of the top-ranked individual golfers in Kentucky. According to a Link NKY report on the Aug. 31 All-State Points Report from the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association, Hayden Li ranked 18th statewide among boys with 530 points across eight event placings. Teammate Thomas Leone sat just outside the top 30 with 475 points.
The success extends beyond the boys' squad. Ryle senior Elizabeth Dickson ranked 19th statewide among girls with 475 points and eight event placings, making her the top-ranked local girls' golfer.
Dickson was named the school's Player of the Week on Saturday, Sept. 12, after shooting a 79 and finishing in the top 10 at Eagle Creek CC in a field of more than 120 golfers. Earlier in the season, she shot a 75 for a second-place individual finish at a tournament held at the same Kenton County Golf Course where the boys claimed the NKAC title. The girls' team finished second overall in that event.
The conference championship adds a team trophy to the individual accolades Ryle golfers have accumulated this fall. Last season, the Raiders' boys squad finished sixth at the state championship.
Postseason play is scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 21, with state tournaments set for Oct. 10.
