Nina Cash Embraces Her SI Swimsuit Rookie Status With Pride at 57

The retired university associate dean and Swim Search co-winner will be featured in the 60th anniversary magazine next May.

Nina Cash was photographed by Ben Watts in Porto and North of Portugal.Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

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While retired university associate dean Nina Cash never anticipated enjoying an encore career as a model, the 57-year-old is set to make her debut in the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

With 30 years of experience in education and workforce development under her belt, Cash holds an undergraduate degree in human services; a master’s degree in negotiation, conflict resolution and peace-building; and a doctorate in educational leadership. The Long Beach, Calif., native is also a proud mom, grandmother and wife who enjoys volunteering and promoting the notion of beauty at every age in her spare time.

For these reasons and many others, we are thrilled that Cash, a co-winner of the 2023 Swim Search, is joining the SI Swimsuit family as a rookie in the pages of the 60th anniversary magazine next May.

Nina Cash was photographed by Ben Watts in Porto and North of Portugal. Swimsuit top by Natalia Fedner and bottoms by Hunza G.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“Nina Cash was a standout from the very first time we saw her Swim Search submission video,” says editor in chief, MJ Day. “After being in education for over 30 years, the former Dean decided to take a risk and submit to our annual search as a vehicle to inspire others. Nina is living proof that beauty knows no bounds as she embraces every stage of life with timeless elegance. We're excited to celebrate her enduring allure of confidence and welcome her as a rookie for the 2024 issue.”

We caught up with Cash while on location with photographer Ben Watts in Porto and the North, Portugal, to chat about the open casting call process, her rookie experience and her enthusiasm for embracing her gray hair.

“I’m going to apply for Sports Illustrated”

Cash, who grew up in a military Catholic Filipino family, briefly dipped her toe in the modeling industry before pursuing a career in education and workforce development. After retiring last year, she started thinking about her dream of modeling once again—and things quickly began to fall into place.

While visiting Australia on Dec. 31, 2022, Cash’s husband, Aaron, snapped a few candid pics of her clad in a leopard print bikini while on the beach (which she notes was a look outside of her go-to comfort zone of one-piece swimwear).

“That night we look at some of the photos and I’m like, ‘Hey, not bad for a 56-year-old broad who just retired. ... I’m going to apply for Sports Illustrated,’” she recalls. 

Nina Cash was photographed by Ben Watts in Porto and North of Portugal. Swimsuit top by Natalia Fedner and bottoms by Hunza G.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Thinking that the submission period for Swim Search was long over, Cash was pleasantly surprised to learn that the application date had been extended to Jan. 1. She assembled an application video in 45 minutes, submitted it and didn’t think about it again for three months—when she received the news that she had made it to the top 24.

Cash quickly sailed through to the top 12 and then the final seven of the open casting call, which led her to Miami Swim Week, where she walked in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show at the W South Beach in July. She iconically strutted the catwalk carrying a beach bag that read, “Gone Gray and Still Slay,” one of her go-to mantras and Instagram hashtags.

“That was a huge pinch-me moment,” Cash says of the experience. “Huge, huge, huge. Because I remember it distinctly: I was in high school in [1983], and Cheryl Tiegs was on the cover of Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit]. And I remember having that moment as a high school student going, ‘Oh, Sports Illustrated. It’d be so cool to be in the magazine.’ O.K., guys, news flash: That was 40 years ago because it’s gonna be the 60th anniversary next year. So it’s been a pinch-me moment.”

“This whole experience has ... been magical”

While in the European country for her rookie photo shoot, Cash could hardly believe her fortune. Her nerves quickly settled after the first few shots, and she was absolutely thrilled for the day ahead.

“Honestly, I’m pinching myself,” Cash exclaims. “We’re in this beautiful vineyard, [and] I was surrounded by a lovely crew and people who have just been kind and supportive and welcoming.”

Nina Cash was photographed by Ben Watts in Porto and North of Portugal. Swimsuit top by Natalia Fedner and bottoms by Hunza G.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

At a breathtaking vineyard, the model posed for a series of stunning photos while wearing a flattering white bikini, including a knit top by Natalia Fedner and bottoms by Hunza G.

“This whole experience has just been nothing but magic to me. It’s been magical,” she continues. “I’ve said this a gazillion times and I will keep saying it because it’s truly a way to express how I’m feeling, but I feel like a child the night before Christmas and it’s like, now it’s Christmas day today and I’m opening up all my presents and I’m filled with such happiness and gratitude and excitement. It’s just, it’s been wonderful.”

Plus, Cash says that her role in education and her experience as a mother have both benefited her in her “encore career” as a model. Professionalism, preparedness and her ability to befriend just about anyone are just a few of the traits she lists off as aids.

“I have a master’s in negotiation, conflict resolution and peace-building, so I’m always trying to see the other person’s perspective or life lens,” Cash explains. “So when I’m on set, when things are happening that are very stressful, I can understand that and I try to calm things down because it can be very stressful, especially when you have a lot of creatives in the room.”

“You can achieve your dreams, and it’s never too late”

Cash describes the SI Swimsuit brand with words like “empowerment” and “individuality,” which are fittingly terms that could be used to describe her, too.

“It’s really nice to see the magazine and what it has evolved into and what MJ has done as editor in chief,” Cash says. “To be really honest, I don’t think my look or my age or my hair color would have been in the magazine 10, 15, 20 years ago, certainly not when the magazine started. So it is really awesome to see that a [Gen X–er] is being represented.”

Nina Cash was photographed by Ben Watts in Porto and North of Portugal. Swimsuit top by Natalia Fedner and bottoms by Hunza G.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Cash is thrilled to be the face of her generation in the magazine and points out that she’s honored to follow in the footsteps of models like Kathy Jacobs, who co-won the Swim Search in 2020 at the age of 56. 

“I’m just ecstatic and I think SI Swimsuit just stands for women empowerment and encouragement and support of all women,” Cash states.

She says she’s proud to work with a brand that smashes old stereotypes, like the idea that women with gray hair are past their prime. Cash, who started going gray at the age of 26, hopes that her peers will be inspired to reach for their own dreams when they see her featured in next year’s SI Swimsuit Issue.

“It’s wonderful that SI is helping me and partnering with me to bring a voice to women like myself who otherwise would have thought this never could have happened,” she says. “I just want other women to know that you can achieve your dreams, and it’s never too late.”

In fact, that very notion is something she’d tell her younger self if she could.

“It’s always right timing, and those mistakes that you make and the things that you learn are the building blocks to make you who you are today. I wouldn’t change anything about my life,” Cash says. “I don’t know if I would have been ready [for modeling] at that young age. I’m ready now because I’ve lived life. I understand life and I still have a lot to go.”

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