Olivia Dunne, Haleigh Bryant and others react as LSU's Aleah Finnegan pens an emotional farewell note after final PMAC performance

Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan and Olivia Dunne
Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan and Olivia Dunne; sources- getty

Olivia Dunne, Haleigh Bryant, and other gymnasts reacted to Aleah Finnegan as she closed out her career at LSU's home arena, PMAC. Finnegan earned the Reveille Athlete of the Week honor for her performances on Friday.

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In the ongoing season, headed to defend the title with her team, the Filipino American gymnast competed in the last home meet at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. She earned impressive scores in all her routines with a perfect ten on the balance beam. Her efforts put LSU in 198.575, the second-highest in SEC history and ninth-highest in the NCAA all-time. Finnegan was also named the Reveille Athlete of the Week for her performances.

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Since it was a memorable meet, the Olympian penned a heartfelt note for PMAC and her team on Instagram on Monday, writing:

"This place & these people. Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to be in PMAC these past 4 years. Tiger nation, thank you for showing up and showing out each Friday night. It’s an honor to represent LSU. I love this place & I love this team, we’re just getting started."
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Olivia Dunne, her fellow senior and a social media sensation, commented:

"Beautiful"
Olivia Dunne commented on Finnegan's post; Instagram - @aleahfinn
Olivia Dunne commented on Finnegan's post; Instagram - @aleahfinn

Haleigh Bryant also echoed her sentiments and wrote:

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"soo glad lsu brought me my bestie"
Haleigh Bryant comments on Finnegan's post; Instagram - @aleahfinn
Haleigh Bryant comments on Finnegan's post; Instagram - @aleahfinn

The LSU Gymnastics' official Instagram page and Lexi Zeiss joined forces to appreciate Finnegan.

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Lexi and LSU Gym's comment on Finnegan's post; Instagram - @aleahfinn
Lexi and LSU Gym's comment on Finnegan's post; Instagram - @aleahfinn

Aleah Finnegan began her collegiate career in the 2021-2022 season. With her efforts on the gymnastics mat, she became a force to be reckoned with at the SEC and National Championships. In the 2024 NCAA finals, she scored 9.9625 in the individual floor routine, winning the title.

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She posted 9.950 on the balance beam, 9.8375 on the vault, and 9.9125 on the floor exercise in the team finals, anchoring LSU to its first National title in history.


Aleah Finnegan made her feelings known about her perfect score at the PMAC home meet

Aleah Finnegan at the 2024 LSU Archive - (Source: Getty)
Aleah Finnegan at the 2024 LSU Archive - (Source: Getty)

Finnegan earned the first perfect score for LSU this season in the meet against the Georgia Bulldogs at PMAC. Speaking about the monumental feat in a post-event interview, she said (via Athlon):

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“Honestly, a bit unexpected but I just wanted to be routine for them. They set me up so well week after week. It’s truly that mindset, when you do it for the right reasons and you do it for each other then the results [speak to that].”

She further said:

"This night was just about enjoying it. Just soak it all in and I don’t know, it’s hard stuff to think about but I think we did a great job of honoring each other with our actions. And really just putting it out there for the world to [see for] themselves.”

Aleah Finnegan represented the Philippines at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Filipina to qualify and compete at the Games in 60 years. She finished 47th in the qualification round, ending her medal bid.

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Edited by Shirsh
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