Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne, well-known for her presence in Sports Illustrated and popularity on social media, was seen in Omaha on Monday night at the College World Series game against Wake Forest.
During the broadcast, ESPN showed Dunne signing an autograph for a fan in the fourth inning. A crowd of young men gathered near her section behind home plate, seemingly hoping for a glimpse of Dunne.
MLB Twitter reacted to Olivia Dunne's presence in the College World Series game.
"ESPN is showing Olivia Dunne more than the game 😂. Lead off walks hurt." - one fan said.
"LSU later hires her to distract the hitters." - another fan commented.
Additionally, Dunne shared an Instagram story from Charles Schwab Field with the caption, "Let's geaux tigahs."
The rise of Olivia Dunne
Dunne started her gymnastics journey at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus, New Jersey, under the guidance of coach Craig Zappa. She made her debut in elite gymnastics in 2014 and successfully qualified for the National Championships in 2015.
Dunne expressed her desire to utilize her platform in Sports Illustrated to enhance the visibility of gymnastics beyond the Olympic Games' four-year cycle of mainstream attention. She highlighted the significance of bringing attention to college gymnastics and enabling people to witness the remarkable abilities of gymnasts throughout the sport, not just during the Olympics.
"In gymnastics, a lot of people only watch the Olympics every four years," she said. "I feel like I've been able to use my platform to bring an audience to college gymnastics, and people are starting to see how amazing all these gymnasts are."
In 2020, Dunne became a member of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team, where she consistently participated in the bars event throughout her first season. She attained All-American recognition for her performances on bars and achieved a score of 9.825 at Auburn. Notably, she also received a score of 9.90 on bars at the NCAA Championships.