Olivia Dunne Reveals Side-by-Side Comparison of First and Last LSU Gymnastics Seasons

The athlete is reminiscing on her time in Baton Rouge—and gearing up for her fifth year of competition.

Olivia Dunne / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

And just like that, Olivia Dunne is a fifth-year senior gearing up for her last gymnastics season at LSU. Earlier this fall, the 22-year-old returned to Baton Rouge for the final time. And, in early January, the Division I athlete will take to the gym again to kick off her fifth season with the Tigers squad.

For the Tigers, there’s a lot riding on this season. This past spring, they secured their first National Championship title in program history. As a senior leader, Dunne helped the team to the momentous win. This coming spring, the New Jersey native and her teammates will be looking to repeat the feat.

But there’s a lot of time between now and then—time to prepare and (if you’re Dunne) to reflect, too. The athlete’s latest Instagram post indicated that she’s doing exactly that, and that her fifth year has her feeling a bit sentimental.

On Nov. 5, she took to her social media profile to share side-by-side headshots from LSU media day. The first slide featured a photo of Dunne as a fifth-year athlete. In the snap, she posed in her purple and gold LSU quarter-zip, flashing a soft smile for the camera. The next slide featured a throwback to her freshman year with the team. In the photo, Dunne sported a similar purple and gold quarter-zip and smiled widely.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne)

“In the blink of an eye #supersenior #old,” she comically captioned the pair of photos.

For Dunne, returning for a fifth year wasn’t exactly an obvious choice. Under the new NIL policies, she has found immense success garnering brand deals, securing sponsorships and profiting off of her own name. Dunne has established herself as a content creator—and an extremely successful one at that. If she so chose, she could pursue that passion full-time. And she likely will following her fifth year at LSU. But for now, she’s back in a purple and gold uniform preparing for her last season as a Division I athlete.

Over the summer, she announced her return to the gymnastics team with a fierce video that she shared to her Instagram. According to Dunne, despite her success outside of the gym, Baton Rouge was still calling her name. “No matter how many opportunities come my way off the mat,” she said on camera, “there’s just something about LSU.”

On Jan. 3, Dunne and the Tigers will kick off their 2025 season in a home matchup with Iowa State.