Before the players at the Men's and Women's Final Fours took center stage in Phoenix and Cleveland, respectively, a few of their student-athlete peers stole the show with their voices.
Indiana women's basketball senior Arielle Wisne sang the national anthem before the semifinals of the Women's Final Four on Friday night. About 24 hours later, a representative from each of the four teams at the Men's Final Four collectively sang the anthem before the semifinals began, alongside students from host Arizona State.
Learn a little about each of them below.
Jada Allen, NC State
A senior volleyball player for the Wolfpack, Allen grew up with two older sisters who sang in the church choir. Naturally, she joined along. Allen's love for singing led her to join school musicals in high school and start to dream of a future on Broadway. Allen also stuttered as a child, and singing became a way to work through that. Through the years, she said overcoming natural stage fright in singing has benefited her in big moments on the volleyball court.
"Even when there's a huge crowd, I think to myself I have to stay cool, have to stay calm," she said in an NC State feature video. "I think it's just something I've accepted will come and I'll get nervous and I'll get a little shy, but that's just part of it."
Paul Mathews, Alabama
A freshman diver for Alabama, Paul Mathews is no stranger to performing at sporting events outside the pool. Mathews has performed at the Men's College World Series in Omaha and before an Alabama swimming and diving meet this season. He also has sung in Carnegie Hall.
"I have been doing music my whole life. Before I dove, all I did was music," Mathews said in an interview with a Birmingham, Alabama, TV station. "If I have the opportunity to do so, I love to take advantage of it just because to be able to share music with the world is a gift I have been given by God."
Caroline Sheehan, UConn
A former women's soccer player and current team manager for the Huskies, Caroline Sheehan has been connected to UConn since birth. Sheehan's father ran track at UConn and met her mother there. Her sister is currently a senior at UConn.
Singing is also a lifelong love, one Sheehan said started in choir and transitioned to carpool karaoke sessions with friends as she got to college.
All of this made representing UConn at the Final Four a special moment.
"It's a really, really cool experience. When I heard about this opportunity, it was like, 'Why not? Let's run it back!''' Sheehan said. "I'm really excited and grateful to represent UConn, the team, and all my friends and family."
Nicole Ryan, Purdue
Nicole Ryan, a senior for Purdue cheer, has loved singing her whole life but had never performed in front of an audience bigger than a few friends and family until last weekend. As a 10-year-old, she had an opportunity to sing on Broadway, but her busy schedule of school, cheer and athletics kept her from pursuing it. All of this made the opportunity to sing at the Men's Final Four especially meaningful, as she sang in front of more than 74,000 and millions more watching on TV before joining the Boilermaker cheer squad on the sidelines.
"It still feels like a dream!" Ryan said. "Ten-year-old me would be so proud to have finally followed her dreams of being a collegiate cheerleader at Purdue University, as well as singing the national anthem. I am so beyond grateful for this opportunity and that I get to sing in the final chapter of my college career."
Arielle Wisne, Indiana
A fifth-year senior for the Indiana women's basketball team, Arielle Wisne's teammates have known she can sing for a long time from locker room karaoke sessions — "The Lion King" music was a favorite early in her career. She's also written a few songs in her spare time. Hoosier fans took in her vocal talents before Indiana's senior day game this season when she sang the national anthem. On Friday, Wisne once again impressed a sold-out crowd by singing the national anthem at the Women's Final Four in Cleveland, with millions more watching on TV.
"I have always loved singing, but I have not been able to do a lot with it," said Wisne, who was part of a historic run of Indiana basketball that included multiple NCAA tournaments, Sweet 16 appearances and a Big Ten Conference championship. "It really means a lot to me to be selected to sing at the Final Four. I never imagined I would!"
