Northeastern’s all-female a capella group Pitch, Please! took first place at the 2019 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, or ICCA, Northeast Quarterfinal at Berklee College of Music on Saturday.

They competed alongside Northeastern’s Distilled Harmony, which placed third, and other college groups.

“Going in we were pretty confident,” said Distilled Harmony member Greg Myren. “I feel that we had a tough time in the venue, and we made a few mistakes.”

Myren, a first-year, praised Pitch, Please! for their performance.

“We are so proud of them. They absolutely killed it, ” Myren said.

Berklee’s own Upper Structure emceed the event, which nearly 900 people attended.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology group Syncopasian was the first troupe introduced to the stage,  incorporating R&B and pop multilingual songs. Olin College of Engineering’s group the PowerChords told a story of jealousy and heartbreak during their set with a rendition of Duffy’s “Warwick Avenue” and Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” The Chorallaries from MIT engaged the crowd with their cover of Panic! At The Disco’s “Say Amen (Saturday Night).”

Pitch, Please! began their set next, and both their choreography and vocals showed intricate attention to detail during their solos and throughout their set.  

Berklee’s On The Vox tried to keep the energy going with their set, closing the first half of the competition with Oh Wonder’s “Technicolour Beat.” Emmanuel College’s all-female group, For Good Measure, performed after intermission with a cover of Estelle’s “Conqueror,” opting for simple choreography and focusing on vocals.

Distilled Harmony kicked off their set with Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood” and kept high intensity throughout with great choreography and solos.

Berklee’s all-male group, the CharlieChords, then took the stage and showed off their choreography skills during their cover of Imagine Dragons’ “Whatever It Takes.”

Bentley University’s Off The Clock finished the competition with a performance that transitioned from slow gospel music to a fast-paced finish.

Upper Structure entertained the crowd as the judges tallied scores, filling the time with covers from their previous performances.

The judges gave special awards to individual singers, with Pitch, Please! members third-year Lora Riehl and second-year Mackenzie Hunt winning best vocal percussion and best solo performance respectively. Pitch, Please! was then announced as the winning group of the second quarterfinals. They will be moving onto the Northeast semifinals, along with the second-place team, the CharlieChords.

Olivia Triplett, the third-year leader of Pitch, Please!, commented on their group’s efforts.

“We’ve been rehearsing every day, and I think that we have something special that we need to share with everyone,” Triplett said. “The set this year is so much more special to us and well thought out in a way that we think people will enjoy more than any other before.”

Jessica Muhlenberg, mother of Pitch, Please! soloist second-year Julia Muhlenberg, praised her daughter and the group for their performance and hard work.

“I am extremely proud of her and the rest of them, and I am so excited to see how far they can go,” Muhlenberg said.

Pitch, Please! came in third place in the first ICCA quarterfinals last year and could not move onto the semifinals.

“We have so many supporters coming for us now,” Triplett said. “I just know that I’d be happy as long as I walk off stage knowing that I did the best that I could have done in that moment.”