Hailey Van Lith is a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.
The TCU women’s basketball guard, who led the the Horned Frogs to their first Elite Eight appearance in program history in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, made her debut with SI Swimsuit as their April digital cover star on Tuesday.
Van Lith, 23, looked stunning while modeling a variety of swimsuits, including a black one-piece by Saint Laurent, for her photoshoot, which took place at the Crescent Hotel in Fort Worth.
The blonde beauty, who modeled a number of colorful bikinis, said she felt “sexy” in a behind-the-scenes video posted by SI Swimsuit.
“I feel sexy, cute and athletic. You can be strong and beautiful and all athletes should feel empowered,” she said.
SI Swimsuit teased her digital cover on Monday, posting a video of her tossing a bedazzled basketball with the Big 12 conference logo.
“Growing up, you always see like, hyper-feminine, very small, very slender women as the most beautiful and like, that’s what your goal is, to look like,” Van Lith said. “But as I’ve grown up and, you know, figured out who I am through sports and other things in life, finding my balance between being feminine and also bringing in my masculine side… I think that that’s kind of where I define beauty.”
Van Lith is one of the first faces of the NIL era, with 1.2 million Instagram followers and nearly 500,000 TikTok followers.
“Growing up in the frame of social media, I 100% felt pressured as when I was 15, 16, and I first started blowing up,” she said. “My thighs were too big, my hair was too short, I had too much acne… it’s hard when you’re not young, you’re not mature enough to form your own perspective without the opinions of other people.
“Now that I’ve matured and had more experiences, I feel so much more authentic.”
The Washington native made her SI Swimsuit debut just over a week after she scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in TCU’s 58-47 Elite Eight loss to Texas on March 31.
As for what’s next? The 2025 WNBA draft, which will take place at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City on April 14.
Van Lith was one of the most talked about players in the 2025 NCAA women’s tournament, both on and off of the court.
She helped lead the Horned Frogs to their first appearance in the tournament since 2010.
Her play was solid and then she grabbed headlines for being vulnerable about her past struggle with mental health.
After TCU punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 85-70 victory over her former Louisville team last month, Van Lith told reporters she was suicidal before she found success at TCU.
She became the first player in NCAA history, men’s or women’s, to have appeared in the Elite Eight five times, and to take three different teams to that round.
Van Lith rose to popularity during her three seasons with Louisville, where she led the Cardinals to a Final Four appearance and two Elite Eights.
She transferred to LSU for the 2023-24 season and teamed up with Angel Reese, the No. 7 overall pick by the Chicago Sky in last year’s WNBA draft and a fellow SI Swimsuit model.
Van Lith spent her final year of eligibility at TCU after winning bronze for 3×3 basketball during the Paris Olympics last summer.
