Olivia Dunne Is ‘Back to the Grind’ in LSU Gym Video Following Thanksgiving Break

The fifth year athlete is gearing up for her final gymnastics season.

Olivia Dunne / John Nacion/Getty Images

Olivia Dunne is currently experiencing that first day of school sort of feeling—but make it gymnastics. The fifth-year LSU gymnast took a brief break from the gym (her first in a few months, we’re sure) to celebrate Thanksgiving at home, but found herself right back in the practice facilities in Baton Rouge yesterday.

The Division I athlete voiced all of our feelings about the post-holiday slump when she took to TikTok to share a look at her first day back in the gym. “POV: your first practice back after Thanksgiving break,” she wrote on a clip of her visibly (and jokingly) distressed. In the video, she mouthed the words to a clip from Dance Moms: “It was tough walking back into the studio, but I did it.”

In Dunne’s own words, she was “back to the grind”—and for good reason, too. The fifth-year athlete and her teammates kick off the 2025 season in just a few short weeks with a meet against Iowa State at home. The Jan. 3 matchup is just the start of a slew of competitions leading up to the NCAA Championships in mid-April.

Olivia Dunne / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

For the 22-year-old and her teammates, there is a lot riding on this season (and, thus, a lot of work to be done to prepare). For the first time in program history, the LSU gymnastics team took home the National Championship trophy this past spring. This coming season, they will bear the title of defending champions—and try to live up to the expectations that it places on the squad.

Dunne’s return for her fifth year wasn’t a given by any means. She could have chosen to take her leave after her senior season and pursue a full-time content creation career. She has found great success on social media, and we have no doubt that such a path is open to her. But she chose to return anyway. For her, it was a no-brainer. After the championship season (and four incredible years in Baton Rouge), she had to take advantage of her “COVID season,” the name given to the extra season granted to student-athletes who played a sport during the pandemic.

And we don’t blame her. She was an integral piece of the 2024 squad and a senior leader. Now, she has the chance to help her team defend their first title. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity.