YORK, Neb. - The Hope International dance team participated in the NAIA National Qualifier event Saturday in Nebraska, hosted by York College. Hope International, in their first-ever NAIA Qualifier, placed second out of the nine teams at the regional. 

The Royals were against many mid-west teams, including Oklahoma City, York College, Kansas Wesleyan, Southwestern, Bethel, University of St. Mary, Bethany, and Vanguard. Hope International had the second-best score in the preliminary round, scoring a 70.4, and behind Oklahoma City who scored a 79.17. The Royals were ahead of Vanguard who came in third with a preliminary score of 66.4 in third place. 

The final round saw HIU improved their score to 70.6, giving the team a total score of 70.55 to place second overall out of nine teams. Oklahoma City finished in first place with an overall score of 80.17 and Vanguard placed in third place with a score of 68.63. As the winner, Oklahoma City received an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships. 

The HIU competitive dance team had a successful and historic first season under Head Coach Christina Remijio placing third out of seven at the Midland Invitational, winning two duals against Vanguard, and ending the season with an impressive second-place finish out of nine teams at the Southwest National Qualifier.