The much anticipated Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Issue has officially hit newsstands. The swimsuit edition became a stand-alone issue for Sports Illustrated in 1997 and has since gone on to be celebrated by men everywhere. Like in previous years, we decided to join in on the celebration and countdown our top 7 picks from the scantily clad issue that includes seventeen models photographed on seven continents.

Our top picks include some new and familiar faces. Kate Upton snagged the coveted cover for the second year in a row, but she isn’t our top pick. Check out our top 7 picks below to see who we deemed worthy of the number one spot.

READ: Top 7 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models From The 2012 Issue

7. Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy has proven that she is more than John Legend’s chick. Her campaigns include Gillette Venus, Olay, Nike, Skullcandy headphones, and many more. She has a recurring role as a guest host and contributor on E!, TMZ, MTV, FUSE/MSG, and Extra. Chrissy has appeared in editorials for top magazines including Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. If all that wasn’t enough, Chrissy is probably the only SI model who can boast about appearing as a featured character in the 2011 EA Sports video game Need For Speed: The Run. Chrissy made her debut in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2010 becoming Rookie of the Year.

Something you should know about Chrissy is that she is a big time foodie. Make sure to follow all her food adventures over at www.SoDelushious.com. To catch up on all the latest with Chrissy, take the jump to her Twitter page @chrissyteigen.

6. Alyssa Miller

Alyssa Miller made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue debut in 2011 with Kate Upton. Like Kate, Alyssa has also worked as a model for Guess clothing. Born and raised in Los Angeles, it is said that Alyssa always imagined she would grace the pages of Sports Illustrated as a soccer player, not a model. Make sure to follow Alyssa on Twitter @luvalyssamiller.

Alyssa’s official website: www.alyssamiller.com

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5. Ariel Meredith

This isn’t Ariel’s first appearance in SI’s swimsuit issue, but it is her first time making our countdown. Last year Ariel traveled to Panama to shoot her SI swimsuit photos, this year her journey took her to Spain. If Meredith’s face looks familiar it’s because you may have seen her posing for campaigns with J.Crew, Ann Taylor Loft, H&M, David’s Bridal, Fossil, Target, Garnier Fructis, Sephora, Levi’s, or the Gap. Follow her on Twitter @Arielmeredith.

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