DeKALB — NIU’s all-female a cappella group, the Harmelodics, competed Saturday and secured a spot in the ICCA Great Lakes Semifinal in Chicago. The Harmelodics placed second at the Quarterfinals, beaten only by University of Wisconsin-Madison’s all-male group, Fundamentally Sound.

The night was stacked with competition, featuring 10 groups across the Midwest, each with 12 minutes to move through a set of three songs, though some managed a medley of four.

The evening opened with one of Illinois State University’s groups performing their renditions of “Wild Things,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Rhiannon.” The third group to perform was the Harmelodics.

“It’s scary being up there,” sophomore English major Thalia Schusteff said. “The scariest part is easily just before you go on [because] all the nerves are going.”

The Harmelodics opened with an electrifying performance of Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue,” to which they were granted the award for Outstanding Arrangement at the end of the night.

“We have a ritual before the show… We stand in a circle and hold hands, just talking about how we know the set and that we’re going to kick butt,” Schusteff said.

The girls wore matching bright red pants, which they also joked about in their closing song, “Burning Up” by the Jonas Brothers.

“I don’t think we’re going to change the set really at all… maybe just a few little tweaks here and there,” said Lena Burke, junior vocal education major.

Following the Harmelodics’ performance, the night continued smoothly with the Acafellaz, also of ISU, who placed third, followed later by Fundamentally Sound. The show ended with NIU’s all-male group, the Huskie Hunks. The guys opened their set with a fun and engaging rendition of One Direction’s “Olivia.”

“We had an absolutely amazing time performing last night,” the Hunks said in a statement posted on their Facebook page. “We’d like to thank everyone that came out to support us. We’d also like to send out a HUGE congratulations to NIU’s very own Harmelodics for placing second and moving on to semi-finals! Great job, ladies!”

The ICCA Great Lakes Semifinals will be held 7:00 p.m. March 4 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.