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Several LSU gymnasts, such as Olivia Dunne and Haleigh Bryant, shared their reaction as the Tigers faced elimination from the NCAA semis on Thursday. Competing in the second session of the semifinals, LSU finished third (197.5250), behind Utah Red Rocks (197.7625) and UCLA Bruins (197.7375).
Bryant ended the NCAA semis with an impressive performance in all four apparatuses (AA score of 39.5625). On the other hand, her teammate, Dunne, was not featured in any of the apparatuses during the meet. She has been out for the majority of the season, citing discomfort in her knee.
Dunne, who concluded her final year of collegiate stint with this meet, shared an emotional message and expressed her gratitude for her time in the program following elimination from the national tournament. She wrote (via her X handle):
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"✌️ out gymnastics it’s been real… and of course forever LSU!💜"
"Couldn’t have asked for a better 5 years! Thank you, LSU💜" wrote Bryant
"i love you so much tiger nation. forever LSU 💜" remarked Sierra Ballard
LSU all-around gymnast, Kailin Chio, who competed in her freshman year at the competition and scored 39.5625 in the NCAA semis, wrote:
"thank you lsu for an amazing freshman year! love yall. geaux tigers always💜"
Sierra Ballard represented LSU in the floor and BB during the event and scored 9.8250 and 9.8750, respectively. Utah's Grace McCallum (AA score of 39.6750) and UCLA's Jordan Chiles (39.5875) were major performers for their teams during the semis.
Even though Olivia Dunne's LSU failed to grab an opportunity to defend their national title, the 2024 champions did win the SEC regular season and Championship title.
"I am going to be done"- Olivia Dunne on her plans with gymnastics after college
Olivia Dunne talks about her plans to distance herself from the gymnastics circuit after her time at LSU. In an interview, Dunne expressed a desire to explore more freedom and distance herself from competitive gymnastics, a sport that she has been associated with since a tender age. She said (via People):
"I'm going to be done with gymnastics, which is a crazy thing to say. So I'm going to have more freedom. I'm going to have way more freedom. I've been a competitive gymnast since I was three years old."
During the conversation, Olivia Dunne also remarked that she is looking forward to her time with Paul Skenes, and attending his matches and training sessions after her gymnastics stint.
