"Waiting patiently for Paul" - Olivia Dunne plans surprise visit with boyfriend ft. a special guest

Paul Skenes made headlines in 2023 when he revealed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he was dating famous gymnast Olivia Dunne. The two met via friends at LSU and their relationship developed from there.

Skenes was selected at No.1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 MLB draft and is expected to feature in the upcoming season for the team. Dunne, in her senior year at LSU, is entrenched in the 2024 gymnastics season with the Tigers, but the two manage to make time for each other.

Dunne is active on social media and recently shared some images on Snapchat of her waiting in the car for Skenes along with her white golden retriever, Roux. The puppy looks to be waiting impatiently for Skenes, so Dunne captioned the image:

"Waiting patiently for Paul like"

Dunne and Roux waiting for Paul Skenes

She also shared some pictures of Roux and Skenes together:

Paul Skenes and Roux

Paul Skenes and Roux

Roux, a much-loved part of both Dunne and Skenes' life, has her own page on Instagram with over 10,000 followers.

Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes set for a big year in 2024

This could be a big year for both Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes in their respective careers. On Tuesday, Jan. 16, Skenes was named the top pitching prospect in the league by MLB Pipeline. While this wasn't wholly unexpected given that he was the first pick in the 2023 draft, there is reason to believe he will play a role for the Pirates in 2024.

Given that the expectations for Pittsburgh in the upcoming season aren't overly big, Skenes could benefit from not having too much pressure on him. The Pirates haven't had a winning season since 2018 and owner Bob Nutting recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he expects "to see another step forward" in 2024.

“For the first time in what feels like a decade and maybe on the calendar is 6-7 years, we’re within striking distance of a good team. We’re short of that still, but the progression is clearly going in the right direction."

Skenes will be looking to contribute for Pittsburgh, who will be looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2015.

As for Olivia Dunne, she is looking to help the LSU Tigers Gymnastics team go as far as they can in the 2024 season, which happens to be her senior year.

The Tigers have had a decent start to the campaign, going 4-1 in their meets thus far. LSU kicked off the season with a win against Ohio State, and at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, defeated UCLA and Utah, but fell to a defeat against Oklahoma.

Their most recent meet saw LSU defeat Kentucky by a 198.125-197.600 scoreline and they are currently ranked third in the nation with a 197.417 average.

There's a long way to go for both Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes in 2024, but the year certainly looks promising.