When lights dimmed and the hosts stepped off, seated NMU students stood and cheered as the freshmen football team flooded the stage. Then and there, the Lip Sync Battle had begun. Players threw flower petals, flashed lights and danced around in excitement in an attempt to impress the judges.

A variety of student organizations practiced weeks prior to Tuesday’s competition. With an assortment of props, colorful outfits and organized choreographies, lots of effort was put into each number. Booming claps and cheers followed each dance.

After an impressive opener, contestants had to put on great performances; some could say they got better and better. The women’s lacrosse team, for example, rolled a shopping cart onto the stage and danced along to “Thrift Shop.” Using a lacrosse stick as a microphone, players danced in structured patterns, big sunglasses and wide smiles. The women’s volleyball team dressed in matching jean jackets and sang along to songs from “Mamma Mia!”

The audience’s cheers just kept roaring; it was clear the competition was going to be close-cut. Earning third place in the battle, Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM) was surprised with their title; they had previously won the past two years of competition.

CCM used a mashup of many different songs.  They had partner dances and intricate movements that left the audience with dropped jaws.

Before their placement was announced each team participated in a game of musical chairs, where a CCM member took another victory.

“Our group killed it this year. We just wanted to have some fun, and that’s exactly what we did,” a member of CCM said. “I just hope that the audience sees that anyone can [lip sync], and anyone can have fun doing it.”

Each group crushed their performances in different ways, but judges agreed that one team deserved the winning title; NMU swim and dive. Dressed in matching black outfits and fishnets, the group had a well-structured dance and costume change; swimmer Caleb Rice became the star of the night as he appeared dressed in a sparkly outfit and danced with enthusiasm in time with the rest of the team.

“I have always been a choir and theater kid growing up, so this was a no brainer for me. I love song and dance, and I’m not doing choir anymore,” Rice said. “It’s a good outlet, and I love everyone on the team. I knew we were going to crush it because we’ve been working insanely hard.”

Rice said that the team practiced so hard to memorize each movement that the dance felt easy. With such a strong group effort, the team stood out among the rest. Each team had loud applauses afterwards, but people stood and loud laughs were heard before their number finished.

“[The Lip Sync Battle] is a fun time for everyone, and I feel like it makes the sports teams more connected,” Rice said. “At least for the swim team we don’t get a lot of people in the stands unless it’s parents, so it’s cool to finally come together and get to see all of the other teams.”

After the battle, the ballroom was filled with excited chatter. This year’s battle can be considered a success, and next year’s battle will be long awaited.