This past winter quarter, Pacific Note West, one of Western Washington University’s competitive a cappella teams, placed fourth overall at the International Championship of Collegiate a Cappella (ICCA) West Quarter Final, which took place at the Tacoma Armory on Jan. 24, 2026.
Out of nine competing teams, and being the only American team to place in the top four, Pacific Note West came out with a score of 372, just barely missing third place by three points.
The team competed with a 10-minute performance composed of three songs: “The Seed” by AURORA, “Doomsday” by Lizzie McAlpine and “Earth Song” by Michael Jackson. These songs were chosen and arranged by co-director and fourth-year Western student Bryce Ronhaar, who has been a part of the team since his first year. His arrangement for “The Seed” won best overall at the competition, which according to Ronhaar, was something he had never even initially considered happening.
“It felt amazing, but I was completely blindsided,” Ronhaar said.
Casey Middleton, co-director of the team and third-year Western student, described the performance as connected, powerful and emotional.
The piece had an intense, political implication, drawing attention to the topic of climate change and the innate relationship between humanity and nature, brought forth by an emotional musical performance. Ronhaar said the vision he wanted to create was very clear and came from the feelings of unrest he was having at the time.
“That was the best we’ve done at the ICCAs. I can’t wait to see what we do next year,” Middleton said.
The team faced many surprises at the 2026 ICCA, one of them being the fourth-place win itself, but something that shocked the team immensely was the realization that, following their performance, the University of Washington (UW) was competing with the very same song, “The Seed.” Watching UW’s group perform, the collective gasp from Pacific Note West’s team members was audible.
In the a cappella world of competitions, UW is, according to Pacific Note West singer and Western fourth-year Reina Clark, “the one to watch.” UW was expected to win this year by many of the members of Pacific Note West, as they won the year before.
The members of Pacific Note West have something they are more proud of than the top four placement: the immense hard work everyone put into the process and the teamwork it took to get there.
Clark has been on the team for two years. Her responsibility on the board this year was to encourage team bonding, plan retreats and ensure that everyone reached a place of connection.
When asked if she could give a shoutout to anyone, she said, “This might be a bit of a cop-out, but genuinely everybody.”
She said that because Pacific Note West is a student-run team, it’s apparent everyone puts in the work because they love the team, not because anybody is forcing them to.
“Everybody put in 110% and if anyone slacked off just a little, it would make an obvious difference,” Clark said.
The group members prepared for the competition by attending Monday and Wednesday evening practices, weekend rehearsals, and watching and analyzing videos of their past performances.
Members of the team described being a part of the group as being a part of a family. “It’s hard to perform. Putting that part of yourself into the world is an intimate thing. And doing that in a group setting can be difficult for some people, but it’s very rewarding,” Ronhaar said.
To get a glimpse of the team, catch them at their showcase at the Underground Coffeehouse on May 20. To keep up with updates, follow their Instagram at @wwupacificnotewest.
Maddie Ferguson (she/her) is a second-year journalism student and campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. When she's not chasing waterfalls or playing chess, she can usually be found at the beach searching for sea creatures at low tide. You can reach her at maddieferguson.thefront@gmail.com.
