Jillian Hayes (Photo via jillianhayess/Instagram)
University of Cincinnati women’s basketball forward Jillian Hayes announced she would utilize her fifth year of eligibility and return to Cincinnati for the 2024-25 season.

That was a good decision for many reasons.

Senior forward Jillian Hayes is a member of the Cincinnati Bearcats. It was previously revealed that Hayes, along with Jas Williams of UCF (softball) and Alexa Massari of Houston (diving), will be included in the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 60th Anniversary Issue. For the photo session, photographer Derek Kettela was joined in Belize by the trio of Big 12 student-athletes.

“Being here shooting for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit honestly is indescribable,” Hayes said (via Sports Illustrated). “As collegiate athletes, we work so hard day in and day out on our bodies and on our crafts, trying to be the best versions of athletes that we can be. “

“And so working with such an empowering organization, it’s literally like, I don’t have the words to describe it. It’s an unbelievable experience.”

Olivia Dunne and Angel Reese of LSU made history last year when they were the first student-athletes to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Since then, other athletes have had the opportunity to do so.

Jillian Hayes Has Made Waves During Her Time With The Cincinnati Bearcats

Jillian Hayes (Photo via jillianhayess/Instagram)
The only player on the Cincinnati Bearcats to start all 32 games the previous season was Jillian Hayes, a senior from Loveland High School. Hayes led the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounds (8.4), and steals (1.19).

She was selected twice for CSC Academic All-District and received the honor of being named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

According to Gobearcats.com, Jillian Hayes scored 10 points or more in 26 games and 20 points or more in three matches. She became the first Bearcat to record ten double-doubles in a season since Doris Scott in 1997–1999, when she accomplished it the previous year.

According to the website, Hayes is listed in the record book. In terms of statistics, she comes in third with 127 blocks, fourth with 403 made free throws, fifth with 844 rebounds, seventh with 7.4 rebounds per game, eighth with 183 steals, and 14th with 1,299 points scored. In the program’s history, her 159 free throws in 2023–24 rank third for a single season.