Jena Sims Shares Cutest Swim Week Runway Clip, Reflects on Full-Circle Moment

The SI Swimsuit Rookie of the Year nailed her catwalk appearance this weekend.

Jena Sims / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Jena Sims is officially a Swim Week veteran. The philanthropist and founder of HBBQs made her third consecutive runway appearance for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 2025 show in Miami this past weekend—and her journey with the brand has never felt more full-circle.

Jena Sims / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

In a heartwarming Instagram montage, the 36-year-old shared behind-the-scenes footage from the dress rehearsal on Saturday afternoon, set to the 1976 disco hit Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel by Tavares.

The video showed her confidently practicing her strut in a casual crop top and micro shorts set before the camera panned to her husband, professional golfer Brooks Koepka, holding their son Crew, who adorably cheered his mom on from the sidelines.

“My first year, Crew man was in my belly. Now he’s cheering me on from the sidelines. @si_swimsuit year 3️⃣ on the runway for Swim Week!! 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 @bkoepka,” Sims captioned the clip.

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A post shared by Jena Sims Koepka (@jenamsims)

“The Swim Week show is after Crew’s bedtime,” read the on-screen text. “So he came to rehearsals instead.”

Sims, who made her SI Swimsuit runway debut while pregnant in 2023, reflected on how far she’s come since that initial walk while she was pregnant with Crew.

“I’m so much more calm about it this year,” she told the magazine over the weekend, ahead of the show. “Being pregnant my first time was scary. That was probably my second time in my life, pretty much, walking a runway. And then to be pregnant, I didn’t look like the rest of the girls. But that’s sort of the whole mission of Sports Illustrated: inclusivity. Once I got about halfway down the runway, I felt pretty confident.”

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A post shared by Jena Sims Koepka (@jenamsims)

Now in her third year walking the iconic Swim Week runway, the Georgia native, who now lives in Florida, is leaning into the joy of the experience—and she’s putting in the work. “I’ve been eating so clean. I work out probably five days a week. I try to get 10,000 steps in and I brought my own meal prep here, which is so cheesy,” she added with a laugh. “As much as I would love to have a drink right now, I’m gonna wait till after I walk. This is part of the job. It means a lot to me.”

Jena Sims at the SI Swimsuit Runway Show 2025 / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

That commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed. Sims was named SI Swimsuit’s Rookie of the Year, an honor she says was both validating and motivating. “It’s definitely a confidence boost because I worked really hard between years one and two. It just really cements the fact that I represent the brand and everything I’m doing is parallel to what Sports Illustrated believes in.”

Sims made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2024, posing for Yu Tsai in Mexico, and returned this year for her second photo shoot, traveling to Bermuda with Ben Watts. For the 2025 SI Swimsuit Runway Show, Sims showcased three bold and playful looks. She opened in a red triangle bikini with white polka dots by Lybethras, followed by a striking black one-piece featuring vibrant tiger stripes from Haus of Pink Lemonaid. Her final look embraced the night’s Western theme—a blue floral two-piece by Roxy, styled with a chunky white belt and a matching straw hat.

Jena Sims / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

From her journey through the Swim Search open casting call, to being named a finalist and walking the runway with a baby bump, to now balancing motherhood with modeling, Sims’s evolution with the brand is a testament to her strength and authenticity.