Olivia Dunne and LSU return to Baton Rouge for ‘Welcome Back Ceremony’
Olivia Dunne and the LSU gymnastics team returned to Baton Rouge for the first time since winning the program’s first national championship on Saturday for a ‘Welcome Back Ceremony’ where fans greeted the title-winners.
Dunne did not compete on the floor in Fort Worth during the national-championship meet, but was all smiles throughout the ceremony. And she was smiling while her teammates talked on Sunday outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Dunne immediately burst into tears when she and her teammates found out they had secured the program’s first national championship after a tremendous showing on the final rotation on balance beam.
After LSU head coach Jay Clark confirmed Aleah Finnegan’s 9.950 in the team’s final routine of the season was enough to claim a title, the relief was obvious from Dunne, who could not stop the waterworks.
Dunne was far from the only LSU gymnast overcome with emotion. Although she did not compete in the national-championship meet, the social-media sensation had been a valued member of the Tigers’ squad all season long.
The tears were eventually replaced with elation as she got plenty of pictures holding up and kissing the national-championship trophy.
The Tigers claimed the title with a 198.225 score, beating California (197.850), Utah (197.800) and Florida (197.4375).
The final was likely to be the last college gymnastics meet for Dunne, who has over 13million followers on TikTok and Instagram alone.
It remains to be seen where Dunne goes from here, now her college gymnastics career looks likely to be over.
She has an annual NIL value of $3.7million, per On3, the highest of any gymnast and No 3 in college sports.
Dunne’s post-LSU possibilities are endless, with her brand deals opening up to bigger partnerships.
Although there is no professional gymnastics league, Dunne’s star power is undeniable. She could see a similar profit as Caitlin Clark.
Clark had an NIL with Nike while at Iowa, and recently signed a reported eight-figure partnership with the company.