University of Iowa senior Lindsey Knott knows there will come a day when her and 19 of her best friends won’t be together every day. These women make up the Iowa Dance Team.

“I’ve had a few moments this season where it hits me that there is going to be a time when I wake up, and I’m not going to be guaranteed that I get to see my 19 best friends,” Iowa dance-team senior Knott said. “That’s what I’m going to miss.”

These 20 women spend every day with one another in practice, classes, performing at sporting events and sometimes even at home.

With football and volleyball in the heart of their seasons, and basketball and wrestling coming up soon, the season can get a little hectic.

“We can all get a little more stressed, but it’s realizing that the majority of people on campus get involved, and I’m really happy that I’m involved with Dance Team,” Knott said.

After spending many hours as a group, the Iowa Spirit Squad has become more than just a team.

“A lot of times we live with each other, and when we are home, we talk about dance,” Knott said. “It literally takes over everything.”

The Iowa Cheer Squad spends at least two hours each day as a team and the one thing that they can count on is trust.

“There’s a lot of trust between the guys and the girls,” Iowa cheer team junior Hannah Solchenberger said. “They have to catch us, and we just basically have to trust that they will be there.”

And with eight seniors on the cheer squad and four on the dance team, the effect that their time on the Spirit Squads at Iowa shows in the leadership.

“You meet the greatest people, you experience the college atmosphere in a totally different way that’s unique and get involved not only in the athletics but also volunteering and getting to meet children at Dance Marathon,” Iowa Cheer senior Kaitlyn Dornbier said. “It’s a great way to see a whole new spectrum of the university.”

One of Iowa’s cheerleaders, senior Oz Agabese, said that the one thing he is going to miss most is interacting with the fans.

“I always go to the same corner for football, the same side of Carver for basketball and volleyball, and it’s the same fans season after season,” he said. “They’re very loyal and not interacting with them for every Hawkeye event is what I’m going to miss the most.”