With the Knightettes coming off of their impressive display at the 2013-2014 Minnesota High School Dance State Tournament winning state for Jazz and getting to state for the high kick, there was a lot of expectation for the team in their 2014-2015 campaign. The team strolled through their regular season placing first or second in every invitational and meet that they performed in, came out of sections victorious and earned a place at state where they would compete in both the Jazz and High Kick events.

After an exceptional first dance on Friday, February 13, the Knightettes advanced through the preliminary round and into the final six where they would compete against the likes of Totino-Grace, Mound, Sartell, Cathedral, and Ricori. BSM was announced to perform first and produced a passionate and dynamic final dance. Although Totino-Grace, one of Benilde’s strongest competitors, beat the Knightettes at sections, the Knightettes redeemed themselves in the state tournament as they were crowned back to back state jazz champions.

The team entered the state tournament feeling very confident, and that confidence was undoubtedly translated onto the dance floor. “My goal was to win jazz. I remember telling our manager Alice Baker that if we didn’t win, I would never forgive myself,” senior captain Margaux Brink said.

The Knightettes knew that they deserved to be state champions, as their hard work throughout the season earned them that first place trophy. “Our team did not want to settle for second place so we knew that we wouldn’t be satisfied if we didn’t win,” senior captain Kendel Malcolm said.

While the Red Knight’s kick performance was not quite as spectacular it too was deserved of much applause as the finished fourth behind Totino-Grace, St. Cloud Cathedral and the winners Sartell-St. Stephen. The Knightettes were very pleased with their performance at state, considering they got eighth last year and did not advance to the finals. “We are very happy with placing fourth but after watching our video and how we felt with our performance after leaving the floor, I think we should have placed higher,” Brink said.