Nicole Williams English Named SI Swimsuit’s 2023 Rookie of the Year

The mom, entrepreneur and model was featured in this year’s issue after a breathtaking photoshoot in Dominica at seven months pregnant.

Nicole Williams English.Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Congratulations to Nicole Williams English! The 40-year-old model and mom of one has earned 2023 Rookie of the Year honors after her incredible SI Swimsuit feature in Dominica with photographer Yu Tsai.

We’re proud to be a part of Williams English’s story, from her pregnancy reveal on the Miami Swim Week runway in July 2022 to an incredibly full-circle moment walking that very same runway with her newborn daughter, India Moon, this summer. And let’s not forget that Williams English also posed for the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue in the Caribbean at seven months pregnant, in an ethereal, mermaid-inspired photoshoot.

Nicole Williams English with her Rookie of the Year Trophy.

“We are so excited to announce Nicole Williams English as the 2023 Rookie of the Year! Her journey exemplifies the power of passion, resilience and a relentless pursuit of dreams that has captivated the world including the entire SI Swimsuit team!” editor in chief MJ Day says. “From announcing her pregnancy on our runway at Miami Swim Week, shooting with us seven months pregnant and then again with sweet baby India, followed by the launch of her swim line collab Nia Lynn x SI Swimsuit (check it out here), Nicole is a true testament to dedication, professionalism and what it means to be a model, mother and mogul. We couldn’t be more proud to have her be a part of the Swimsuit family.”

Nicole William English and editor in chief of SI Swimsuit MJ Day at the Kempinski Hotel in Canún, Mexico.

Day surprised Williams English with the news at the Kempinski Hotel in Cancún, Mexico on Dec 9. The Nia Lynn founder has been nothing but candid about manifesting her collaboration with the brand, which she’s been working toward for the last 20 years. At the end of the day, she hopes her perseverance will inspire her daughter to reach for her own dreams.

“I hope that I can inspire people and show a part of me, especially being pregnant doing this,” she said of her rookie photoshoot in Dominica. “To be able to show my daughter this and to be able to tell her the story of how I got here and how hard I worked to get here and how this was my biggest dream and my biggest goal and to tell her to chase her dreams and never give up, this is just so special.”

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