At the 2020 State Tournament, Benilde-St. Margaret’s Knightettes earned third place in jazz for the first time in 25 years. BSMDT has earned either a gold or silver medal at the State Tournament since 1995.

Usually, the battle for first is between BSM and Totino Grace, but this year BSM fell short with 14 points to Totino grace and Sartel, both with 7 points. “We thought it was our best run but I guess dance is just very subjective and a lot of it rides on the opinions of judges,” junior captain Lauren Hawkinson said. 

Despite the outcome, Hawkinson believes that they are winners. “In our eyes with the performance we did we felt like we won, it was so fun to just go out there and dance one last time as a team,” Hawkinson said. 

The team’s ultimate goal was to earn 1st place in jazz, but they are still proud of their performance. “Obviously it would have been great to win state, but nothing beats the feeling of walking off the state floor and hugging the whole team. This is the moment when you realize everything is worth it,” senior captain Liv Schmitz said. 

Schmitz believes that it is not the medals earned that she will carry with her, but the experience she had. “A lot of my medals sit in the back of my closet, but it’s the hard work I put in all season, the girls that were always by my side, and the feeling of dancing at the target center that I will remember,” Schmitz said. 

7th grader Molly Giertsen, was new to the team this year and experienced her first time dancing at Target Center. “Dancing at State was a surreal experience, and I loved being on the Target Center floor with the girls I love the most. It was cool to see all the fans in the stands cheering us on,” Giersten said. 

Moving forward Giertsen aims to continue the bond that the girls have on the team. “I hope that in the future we can have a team just as close as we did this year. Being new, having that bond with the girls was really special, and I want others to experience that as well,” 7th grader Molly Giertsen said.