Olivia Dunne celebrates her ‘last first day of school’ as gymnast returns to LSU for fifth and final season
Olivia Dunne officially began her fifth — and final — year at LSU gymnastics on Monday.
The 21-year-old returns to the Tigers for her final season after confirming earlier this summer that she is not yet ready to leave the field.
And the national championship-winning gymnast commemorated her “last first day of school” with a heartwarming post on Instagram.
Back in the LSU gym, with the Tigers’ 2024 national championship banner in the background, Dunne posed with her dog, a golden retriever named Roux, whom she shares with her MLB pitching buddy Paul Skenes.
Wearing the Tigers uniform, Dunne knelt on one knee and held up a sign that read “First Day of School,” which included her name, age and grade (17).
Olivia Dunne officially began her fifth — and final — year at LSU gymnastics on Monday
She also claimed that when she “grows up” she wants to become a two-time national champion, a nod to the Tigers’ ambitions to win back-to-back NCAA titles this year.
Her LSU Tigers won the 2024 national championship in April, although she did not participate in the finals.
Three months later, she told her fans that she wanted to wear the purple and gold leotard for one last season.
It wasn’t a surprising decision, given the successful and turbulent college career the New Jersey native has had.
Since her debut as a student athlete in 2020, Dunne has become extremely popular, amassing 5.3 million followers on Instagram and 8.1 million on TikTok.
She has also become a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and has signed deals with companies such as American Eagle and Motorola, with her NIL rating being Op3.
Dunne confirmed over the summer that she wanted to wear purple and gold for one last season
The New Jersey native has had a successful, whirlwind college career with the Tigers
The gymnast spent part of the summer cheering on Simone Biles and Team USA in Paris
Dunne’s fifth season of college gymnastics begins in January, but she’s already hit the gym in preparation for a busy summer.
In between cheering on Skenes at Pittsburgh Pirates games, She was seen cheering on Simone Biles and the US team during the Paris Olympics.
She shared a TikTok video from her seat of Biles performing. She uploaded the video with the enthusiastic caption, “GO USA RAH,” as Biles accepted a gold medal.
Biles is now the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, having won four more in Paris (three golds), bringing her total to 11 (seven golds).