Their effort and energy has paid off — for the first time in its history, the Northeastern University Dance Team, or NUDT, earned first place at the National Dance Alliance’s College Nationals and notched second in the Dance Grand Championship. The Huskies’ strong finish qualified the team for April’s USA Dance Grand Championship for the first time in history April 10 to 12. In the grand championship, winners of each division face off, and the best team claims the overall title. With Northeastern’s basketball teams competing in Division I, the dance team competes against other D1 schools. “It’s a lot of requirements for the team, but it’s something that’s so core to our mission as a dance team,” Vicino said.