Proudly bearing the word “Canes” on a bright green satin bomber jacket, Caleb Chevis opened the historic March Madness Final Four night for the University of Miami with the first line of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The track and field third-year student-athlete was one of four student-athletes—each representing the schools in the tournament—yet his journey to the national stage was more than a year in the making.
“When Miami was in a similar situation last year and made the Sweet 16, my representatives in Student Athlete Development told me that I would be sent to perform because they had already seen me sing the anthem at different games,” said Chevis, who hails from Dallas, Texas.
“Unfortunately, when they didn’t make it last year, it was a bummer. But watching the game against Texas this year in the Elite Eight and seeing all the penalty shots at the end and realizing we won, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m actually going.’”
Chevis began singing at a young age in both his local church and school choir, having always pursued it alongside his athletic talents. Now, as he completes his bachelor’s in health science on the physical therapy track, he continues to pursue his passions, though he recently endured a severe injury that threatened his career in track and field.
“I had a grade four stress fracture on my left tibia that the doctors said was basically career-ending,” Chevis said.
“We really needed to take some time and make sure the bone healed adequately, so that if I did try to compete again I wouldn’t refracture it. It’s the biggest accomplishment for me right now to have gone through all that recovery and rehab in the fall, and I just started competing again a few weeks ago,” he said.
By the time Chevis got to Houston, he was more than ready to take on representing the ’Canes. Spectators watched as he, alongside three female student-athletes from the University of Connecticut, San Diego State University, and Florida Atlantic University, filled the stadium with their rich and powerful voices.
In terms of whether he wants to pursue a music career in the future, Chevis said he has some ideas.
“For now, I’m really focused on getting into physical therapy school and opening up my own practice,” said Chevis.
“From there, I hope to use some of the money I earn to get some studio time and work with a producer. I really believe music has the power to help people feel seen, heard, understood—it really does connect us all,” he said. “And maybe one day, I’ll be singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.”
The National Anthem is being sung tonight by a student-athlete from each of the Final Four schools! 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/0lFCdQelnJ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 1, 2023
