After an illustrious seven-year career, this Division I collegiate track and field athlete has finally switched careers. He’s now all set to feature on a popular American TV show.

“Former collegiate hurdler and Big Ten 60mH champion Sincere Rhea announced as part of the Love Island USA Season 8 cast,” Emmy winner and NBC Sports Director of Social Media and Insights Travis Miller wrote on X on May 29.

Before this announcement, the 25-year-old didn’t hint that his career path would change so dramatically. Though peers expected Rhea to pursue the pro track, his NCAA eligibility clock forced a reckoning. The NCAA’s “Five-Year Clock” limits athletes to five years of eligibility. Rhea had exhausted this option.

Rhea, who’s regarded as the Big Ten 60mH champion, started his NCAA career after moving to Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State, the 25-year-old won the Big Ten indoor 60-meter hurdles title in 2021. He also qualified for the NCAA Indoor National Championships that year. Following his Penn State stint, Rhea moved to Miami in 2022 and won the 2023 outdoor championship. 

Rhea completed his NCAA career at Texas Tech University in 2025. So, having completed his journey as a track and field athlete, he chose an alternative career rather than sticking with his sporting path. Rhea’s quote suggests he’s embracing the shift with confidence.  

“I’m a chaser,” Rhea said in the cast reveal. “I’m not more of that like ‘chase me’; that’s why I just run track.” 

Well, the former track and field champion’s decision might come as a surprise, but his inspiration may have come from people of his state who have made notable appearances on the show. Ray Gantt, Sam Kornse, and Andreina Santos are among the well-known Love Island contestants to come from New Jersey.  

Rhea has joined Love Island Season 8 alongside other athletes.

Beatriz Alexa Hatz to feature on Love Island USA with Sincere Rhea  

Born in Colorado, the 25-year-old ranks among the top Paralympic athletes. Though she now enjoys recognition as a prodigy, the Lakewood native was born with fibular hemimelia—a condition in which the left part or all of the fibula bone in her leg is missing.

Despite the difficulties, Hatz competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and also won a bronze at the 2024 Paris Games. She has sheer grit and determination. But after shining in the Paralympic Games, Hatz is now all set to join the star-studded cast of Love Island alongside Sincere Rhea in the same season.

Apart from her, retired NBA player Donnell Harvey’s daughter, Aniya Harvey, will also feature on the show. She, too, comes from a sporting background, having reportedly played volleyball at Florida State University.  

Love Island’s casting of athletes signals a shift in how networks court sports audiences.