Olivia Dunne has been an LSU Tiger since 2020. After four successful years, many weren’t too sure if she would be back for more. However, for the fifth year, Dunne will don her LSU leotard. She shared this exciting news with her fans on July 8 with a fun caption, “not Dunne yet.” Fans were overjoyed and couldn’t get enough of the heartwarming video with a voiceover of a heartfelt letter to LSU.

The gymnast is now the top-earning NCAA female athlete, valued at $3.9 million under the NIL policy. However, the LSU Lady Tigers squad clinched their first-ever national championship in April 2024. But while she is now known as LSU’s powerhouse, her sister, Julz Dunne, might have had a hand in this. In a casual sit-down conversation with LSU Tiger TV, she let fans in on what could have brought this on. 

Did Olivia Dunne follow in Julz Dunne’s footsteps?

All fun conversations take place in the Purple Room, and LSU’s big sister, Julz Dunne, spoke to Jillian Elliot about everything LSU on a February 25, 2023 episode. It only made sense for Dunner junior to come up, and Elliot had one burning question to ask. “I always wondered; obviously you have some family ties to LSU, but why did you decide on LSU?” Could she have been the reason for Livvy becoming a tiger? Say it isn’t so! 

Without missing a beat, “It’s actually just so different than like any school in the Northeast. Obviously, being from New Jersey, I looked at all schools up there, and honestly, I had no clue LSU existed at all.” That might sound harsh, but Julz did find her way to LSU. “Um, it wasn’t until my sister committed here, when she was 14 years old.” The 21-year-old accepted a full athletic scholarship in the spring of 2017. 

Like every big sister, Julz added, “So she was a freshman in high school, and I was just a sophomore, and I was just like, you know… ‘I’m not going to follow my sister; I’m not going to be that.'” But Elliot chimed in, saying that Livvy technically would have followed her. However, Julz exclaimed, “I mean, yes, but she did; she came here first.” The older Dunne sibling graduated from LSU as a kinesiology major last year. But once a Tiger, always a Tiger. She now helps Livvy with projects that come her way. Such a helpful big sister, right?

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Donning the LSU colors one last time

The NCAA Champion announced her return with a video on Instagram showcasing her iconic journey as a young girl with a dream to become LSU’s megastar. “Dear LSU, these past four years have changed my life. There’s something about putting on a purple and gold leotard,” she said. She continues talking about competing in front of the fans and being part of a team that has etched its name in LSU’s history. Livvy had been receiving several opportunities outside LSU, but it’s true what they say: home is where the heart is. 

Olivia Dunne made it obvious that LSU is just that for her. “No matter how many opportunities come my way off the mat, there’s just something about LSU. And that’s why I’m here to say, I’m not Dunne yet.” If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, maybe her final note will. “Here’s to Year Five, baby.” Such a mic drop moment, isn’t it? Her video had several fans besides themselves. While many weren’t sure she would make a triumphant return, she received a welcome fit for a queen!