WATCH: Olivia Dunne and LSU teammates jump in excitement as team receives No. 1 seed for first time program history

Olivia Dunne and her teammates recently expressed their excitement as the LSU Gymnastics team will enter the NCAA postseason as the No. 1 seed for the first time in program history, having earned their 40th straight regional berth on Monday. The Tigers will begin their journey in the NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Penn State Regional, beginning on Thursday, April 3.

LSU (1), Michigan State (8), Kentucky (9), and Arkansas (16) are the four teams that earned a national seed in the Penn State Regional. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland, and West Virginia make up the remainder of the teams competing at Rec Hall in University Park.

The news was shared on Instagram on March 24, 2025, by LSU's official page alongside a caption:

"No. 1 seed sure does have a nice ring to it 💃"

Olivia Dunne graduated from LSU in December 2024 with an Interdisciplinary studies degree. She returned to the university for her fifth year of gymnastics.

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Olivia Dunne's Coach, Jay Clark Reflects on LSU's No. 1 Seed and Challenges Ahead

Olivia Dunne during LSU v Auburn - Source: Getty

The top 36 teams qualified for regional competitions at Penn State, Alabama, Washington, and Utah based on their National Qualifying Score (NQS). Teams ranked 17–36 were assigned to a regional location based on geography, while the top 16 teams were seeded by the NCAA committee. The NQS at the time of selection will be used for seeding throughout the championships.

Reflecting on the achievement, Olivia Dunne's coach, Jay Clark said:

“It’s great for our program to get that No. 1 seed, but we haven’t arrived yet. Every draw at this time of the year is going to be tough and regionals is probably the hardest part of our postseason format since we changed to the two-day format,” This is the first round of the championship in our minds, so we just have to stick to our process. If we can stay in the mindset of enjoying the process, we’ll be in a good spot. The pursuit of our goals is the most important part.” (lsusports.net)

After the 2025 SEC Championships in Birmingham, where they won their sixth conference championship and took the top spot in the national rankings, LSU's NQS increased to 198.115. They overtook Oklahoma, who had been ranked first for the entire preseason and regular season before the conference titles, to take the top slot.

No. 1 LSU will face No. 16 Arkansas, Michigan, and the winner of the Maryland vs. West Virginia play-in match in the NCAA Second Round. The competition starts at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 3.