Allie Ayers Was Basically Summertime Personified in These SI Swimsuit Photos

From Oklahoma to New Jersey, Ayers’s return to the fold was a sight to behold.

Allie Ayers was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Imagine a world where SI Swimsuit model Allie Ayers’s jaw-dropping Atlantic City photo shoot didn’t exist? Well, this was almost the case, as Ayers was close to saying goodbye to modeling before she participated in Swim Search as a time finalist in 2018 and 2021.

“I guess the thing that [...] is the most massive change is right before this happened for me, I was planning on going back and getting a job in Austin, Texas,” Ayers told the SI Swimsuit team back in 2018 when asked about how her Swim Search journey changed her life. “I thought I was done with modeling. And so, it’s an interesting twist in my own mind to realize that if this hadn’t happened, I would just be doing my ‘big girl’ job, like not modeling at all.”

And thanks to that first Swim Search journey, as well as her radiant rookie photo shoot in Belize, the world now gets the chance to marvel at her second incredible photo shoot year after year.

Allie Ayers was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Bissy Swim. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

As far as what “big girl” jobs the model thought about doing while she considered stepping away from modeling, Ayers mentioned that her passion for occupational therapy made it her career goal in college, though she also enjoyed the more creative side of tech development.

“During college, I was getting my Bachelor of Health Science to go into occupational therapy, so I would have been qualified to do that,” she said. “But going through college, I was actually building websites to pay for my college, and I ended up liking creative tech stuff better, so I probably would have gotten into some kind of creative tech job.”

Allie Ayers was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Bissy Swim. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

But little did Ayers know that she would instead go on to become a Swim Search finalist not once, but twice!

“My experience with the Swim Search and with the SI Swim team was nothing short of extraordinary. It truly did change my life, and I’ve fallen so in love with inspiring others through the platform I was able to create during that journey,” Ayers divulged during her second Swim Search interview in 2021. “I’d love nothing more than to have another go at [winning Swim Search]! To take what I created with my first opportunity and grow that even more. Why not be the first SI Swim Search winner to go a second time?”

Allie Ayers was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Charmosa. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

As far as what she’s up to now, Ayers is enjoying life as a wife and mother. Her beautiful family’s day-to-day is filled with fun adventures as they travel around the world. Even so, juggling multiple roles comes with its highs and lows, which Ayers believes is rooted in having to be several people all rolled into one.

“Mostly, I’m wondering how you combat feeling like there needs to be 3 of you—one for your baby, one for work and one for your marriage. (Oh right) Actually, 4. One for yourself. I want to be present for all of us,” she wrote in a recent caption on Instagram. "I’m excited to let go of the anxieties and what ifs and allow this to be an inspired, full time in my life.”

Allie Ayers was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Bissy Swim. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

And, while it hasn’t even been a full decade since her interview, her life is already looking just as she predicted back then. A family-oriented individual, she desired to have her family as close as possible, and it looks like she got her wish.

“I love my family, and when I decide to have kids, I want them to be able to be near my parents and brother, but that’s just so far in the future,” Ayers replied when asked where she saw herself in 10 to 20 years. “If I could relocate all of them to where I am at the time, I would do that, but we’ll see.”

Allie Ayers was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, N.J. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Where will life take Ayers next? The possibilities are endless.

But if her future looks anything like her impressive past, it’s safe to say that she’s going to continue to do marvelous things—and all with her lovely family right by her side.

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