From clay target to softball, Benilde-St. Margaret’s spring sport athletes are preparing for sections and states as they near the end of their regular season.

Boys’ Golf:
The boys’ golf team has been very consistent and collectively, as a team, has accomplished a lot this season. The team is currently second overall in the conference, falling behind number one: Chanhassen. Top players Blake Steensland, Charlie Moen, captain Ryan Gearen, and Owen Peterson seem to be having a great season. “I think it’s going a lot better than how we expected. We’ve won a couple of tournaments so far and we’re in second place behind Chanhassen right now,” Gearen said.

Girls’ Golf:
The girls’ golf team has had their ups and downs this season and are hoping to make a comeback. Ranging from placements in invitational and conference and meets, from second to fifth, top players captain Clara Halverson, captain Emma Hoen, and eighth grader Alyssa Raghuveer seem to be dropping their scores compared to last season. “We have the week off so we have time to get our act together. I just hope that at least one or two of our girls make it to state, if not as a team,” Halverson said.

Girls’ Ultimate Frisbee:
The girls’ ultimate frisbee team has been repeating last season, showing promising scores against their opponents. The team is composed of multiple grades, each holding their own and helping the team in their own way. Captains Emily Zagaros, Katherine Foe, Clare Meyer, and Sloane Dokman seem to be leading the team in a positive and successful way. “I think we kind of are expecting to have a pretty good time at state even though a lot of the seniors are missing for graduation parties but we are still expecting to play pretty well,” Zagaros said.

Boys’ Ultimate Frisbee:
The boys’ ultimate frisbee team is headed in the right direction. They currently are exceeding the school’s expectations considering the group they lost due to graduation. With state in early June, captain Andrew Fischer is expecting to win more games and build more team chemistry. “We lost a lot of seniors, but we are making great strides with our new freshmen and sophomores,” Fischer said.

Boys’ Tennis:
The boys’ tennis team was off to a rocky start, playing top teams in the state, but have managed to turn the season around. With upcoming sections, captain Bennett Miller is hopeful for the team and what is to come. “I think we’ll win the first or second round in sections, but we have a pretty tough section. So I don’t think we’ll go super far as a team but I think individual sections will go well,” Miller said.

Boys’ Track & Field:
The boys’ track and field team has been on and off all season with many meets getting canceled due to weather. Captain Patrick Mullin is contributing to the team’s races and times, exceeding expectations, going for personal records, and looking forward to more competitive competitions. “We’re in a new section this year which is exciting because in the previous years, we were with the big 4A schools and now it’s going to be us and some smaller schools, which hopefully will be more competitive,” Mullin said.

Girls’ Track & Field:
The girls’ track and field team is looking forward to their main goal and events; True team meet and sections. Many participants have been working hard in the off season while others have decided a new path for themselves. Someone who has stuck by the team for a while is senior Bailey Skahan. “This season is going better than anticipated regarding the amount of people that are on the team,” Skahan said.

Baseball:
The boys’ baseball team is gearing up for the section tournament in a few weeks as they finish off their regular season. The Red Knights are 13-2 overall, going 9-1 in the Metro West Conference putting them in second place. “I think our game will come together and we will be able to make a deep run in sections. We should be better than every team that we face,” senior Ben James said.

Softball:
With a relatively young team, the Red Knights look to make their fifth straight state tournament appearance. They are 6-2 in the Metro West Conference which puts them in second place. They are getting focused for the section tournament as they face New Prague, Visitation, and St. Louis Park. “We have a young team this year so we are still working through that. I am confident that we will pull everything together for sections and ultimately do well in state,” senior Tibby Hessian said.

Boys’ Lacrosse:
The boys’ lacrosse team is looking to be back-to-back state champions as they are amongst only a few teams to stay undefeated this late in the season. The Red Knights are 9-0 and stand at the top of the Metro West Conference. “My expectations for the end of the season are for us to play at the highest level and hopefully win another state championship. I am proud of our team’s success so far and I am looking forward to sections this coming month,” senior Justin Dalum said.

Girls’ Lacrosse:
The girls’ lacrosse team has had a positive start to their season, recording nine wins and one loss. Their one loss was credited to Lakeville South and they have beat successful teams such as Wayzata and Eden Prairie. Some of their upcoming opponents include two conference matchups: New Prague and Chanhassen. “I expect us to do super well in sections, hopefully make it to the state tournament. Our goal is to do better than last year where we got fourth. So this year we are working for third or better,” senior Riley Weedman said.

Clay Target:
The clay target team has had a positive start to their season. With the unpredictable weather, some members have only been able to shoot a handful of times. The state tournament is hosted in Alexandria and the Red Knights are hoping for a successful showing. “I think in general we’ve got a pretty good quad. If we have our top shooters going to state I think that we could compete really well. We have a lot of seniors on the team so it’ll be sad to see us leave but overall I’m excited for the end of the season,” senior Teddy Madden said.