Description: Kate Upton was revealed as cover model of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She was last year’s Rookie of the Year, as named by the magazine. But this year, the 19-year-old model has graduated to team-captain status as the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover model. Kate Upton, 5 feet 10, was born in Michigan but raised in Florida. Her hometown is Melbourne, on the state’s east coast. She wears a tiny red-and-brown, sparkle-covered string bikini with a view of the waters of Australia behind her as she poses for the magazine cover.