Meet the Big 12 Athletes Appearing in the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue

Hailey Van Lith, Rayniah Jones and Phoenix Dawn Miranda secure their spots as the newest Big 12 athletes to join SI Swimsuit.

Hailey Van Lith, Rayniah Jones and Phoenix Dawn Miranda were photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

In 2024, the first trio of Big 12 athletes stepped into the spotlight at SI Swimsuit: University of Central Florida’s Jas Williams, University of Cincinnati’s Jillian Hayes and University of Houston’s Alexa Massari. The tradition continues for the magazine’s 2025 edition, featuring Texas Christian University baller Hailey Van Lith—who makes her debut in the WNBA this month—University of Central Florida track star Rayniah Jones and University of Colorado Boulder soccer player Phoenix Dawn Miranda.

Get to know all three models as they joined photographer Taylor Ballantyne for a stunning, fierce and inspirational shoot in Fort Worth, Texas. All three athletes will be featured in the 2025 magazine, out this month.

Hailey Van Lith

Hailey Van Lith was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. Swimsuit by Frankies Bikinis. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

Fresh off a bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics (3 vs. 3) in August, Hailey Van Lith capped off her impressive collegiate basketball career at Texas Christian University. In only one year in Fort Worth, Van Lith set TCU’s single-season record in points (663) and assists (202) while earning BIG 12 Player of the Year honors for the 2024-25 season.

With previous stints at Louisville University (2020-23) and Louisiana State University (2023-24), the Washington native is a five-time NCAA Elite Eight participant, three-time All-Academic team honoree and she took TCU to its first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance.

Van Lith made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2025 as its April digital cover star with a shoot in Texas, and was selected by the Chicago Sky as the eleventh pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft later that month.

Rayniah Jones

Rayniah Jones was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. Swimsuit by Zimmermann. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

Rayniah Jones’s résumé at UCF is decorated with accolades. The Miami native is a 10-time All-American and made history as UCF’s first Big 12 champion in the 100-meter hurdles, her specialty. As a top-three finisher in three NCAA National appearances, Jones notched a personal-best 12.59 at the 2024 Outdoor National Championship in the 100-meter hurdles.

In 2021, the runner was also a semifinalist at the U.S. Olympic Trials. While she missed the finals at the trials, Jones garnered national attention in just her redshirt freshman year. In 2024, she returned to the fold with another semifinals appearance.

At UCF, Jones majored in criminal justice, minored in journalism studies and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in political science. Her goal is to inspire young athletes to pursue both their academic and athletic dreams.

Phoenix Dawn Miranda

Phoenix Dawn Miranda was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. Swimsuit by Frankies Bikinis. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

When Miranda joined the University of Colorado Boulder soccer team in 2021, the Hawaii native made an immediate impact. With three years of U.S. Youth National Team experience under her belt (2017-19), the defender earned the Newcomer of the Year Award in her first collegiate season.

Miranda was ranked No. 82 in Top Drawer Soccer’s Mid-season Top 100 by 2024, where the 5-foot-9 senior notched 29 shutouts and 41 starts out of 73 career matches played. She earned a career-high 21 starts in her senior season alone, where she garnered 11 shutouts in 1,685 minutes of playing time.

At Colorado Boulder, Miranda studied Ethnic Studies and now looks to continue playing soccer at the professional level, while also exploring further modeling opportunities.