Alpha Phi sorority brought Delta Delta Delta’s eight-year winning streak to a halt after taking first place at Greek Sing Sunday afternoon.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon won first place for the fraternity division.

Anna Hogan, assistant coach for Alpha Phi, described the win as “feeling like a million bucks.”

Last year, Alpha Phi fell one point short and took home second place, so Hogan said they knew they had to bring their A-game to beat the defending champions.

“It’s just crazy going from last year and knowing how close we were then,” Hogan said. “The songs were a really great choice this year, it was very unique and different. We chose an EDM song for our last song, so we had to change the whole thing around.”

Alpha Phi started their performance with “White Winter Hymnal” by Pentatonix, followed with “Hymn For The Weekend” by Coldplay, “Take Me To Church” by Hozier and ended with “Ritual” by Marshmello.

Erika Von Itter, a member of Alpha Phi and senior communication studies major, has participated in Greek Sing for three years now.

“This year was a lot different than the first two years I was in Greek Sing. I really liked the songs we sang in previous years…but this year definitely hit home,” Von Itter said. “With every song we sang, we gradually got more into it. You could just feel the energy.”

Von Itter said the sorority knew Delta Delta Delta was their biggest competition, so when it was announced that they placed second, the women of Alpha Phi were shocked.

“We all just looked at each other,” she said. “Actually, there were a handful of us who started crying when we won.”

Hogan, who will be moving from assistant coach to head coach next year, emphasized just how much she appreciates Alpha Phi and Greek Week at Eastern.

“I’m so proud of all of my sisters,” she said. “I really enjoy Greek Week and I’m so happy we have it. It’s so cool to see what you and your peers can do when you put so much work into it.”

Two of the four judges, Megan Corder and Cayla Maurer, expressed how impressed they were with Sunday’s competition.

“The song choices were wonderful,” Maurer said. “I loved Elton John, Taylor Swift, and everything in between. The groups looked genuinely happy and engaged…it was nice to see they were excited to be up there singing.”

Judging for her second time, Maurer said she felt more prepared knowing what to expect and what the teams would be scored on.

“Just because I had done this last year, I definitely looked at diction and pronunciation of the words,” Maurer said. “Other than that, making sure that they were smiling and having fun is what I focused on.”

Corder, on the other hand, had no judging experience before Sunday’s competition.

“I was in choir in high school and an apprentice for an opera, so I think that’s why I was recruited to be a judge,” she said.

Corder said she focused mainly on stage presence when critiquing the performances.

“It’s a lot of work and preparation, to get up there and really have fun is the most impressive quality,” Corder said. “It’s obviously nerve-racking to perform in front of other people, but to leave with a good experience is the most important part.”

Greek Week will continue this week with Tugs, Puppies on the (Library) Quad, Greek Week Trivia, Relay Races and more.

Loren Dickson can be reached at 581-2812 or ladickson@eiu.edu.