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Olivia Dunne was absent from competing at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships' semifinal round held on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Dunne continued her collegiate gymnastics with the Tigers for her super senior year after utilizing her remaining eligibility, which was awarded due to the COVID-19 protocols.
She returned to the Tigers for her fifth year to defend the title that they won at the same arena in Texas last year. The Tigers dominated the championships last year by collecting 198.2250 points, compared to California's 197.8500, Utah's 197.8000, and Florida's 197.4375. However, the LSU gymnast and social media star was seen missing the recent semifinal, days after she suffered an avulsion fracture in her knee.
The serious injury to her patella kept her off the mat since January 2025, including the SEC Championships, NCAA Regional Finals, and NCAA Semifinals. She last appeared at a meet against Arkansas on January 24, where she competed on the floor, scoring 9.700 points. Her absence can also be attributed to other elite gymnasts on the team who showed the prospect of taking the team to further rounds in her absence.
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Olympian Aleah Finnegan has consistently delivered remarkable performances for the team, having competed on all the apparatuses. She scored 39.625 and 39.600 at the last two rounds, contributing to LSU's effort to earn a place in the semifinal. LSU freshman Kailin Chio's performance, too, has proved to be effective in contrast to Dunne's absence. Chio made her debut against Iowa State in January and scored 39.575 points, earning Freshman of the Week. She posted her first perfect score against Auburn, where she competed in all events, gathering 39.625 points.
When Olivia Dunne explained her goal of competing at collegiate circuit over Olympics
Olivia Dunne once opened up on why she changed her approach from wanting to compete at the Olympics to the NCAA circuit. Dunne made her fair share of sacrifices by opting for homeschooling to train for the prestigious event. However, a few years later, she realized that she could still achieve her goals of gaining fame and traveling by focusing on her collegiate career.
“I wanted to go to the Olympics, compete for the USA, and make the USA National Team and wear the USA gear and just go to different countries and stuff,” Olivia Dunne said. “I figured that would be cool.”
“It was cool to me that people got to travel and be on TV and do all these cool things when it came to the Olympics. But I was like, I wonder if I can still do cool things like that but not have to go to the Olympics to attain those goals and those cool things," Olivia Dunne added. (via GQ.com)
The LSU Tigers fell short of earning a spot in the final round of the 2025 NCAA Championships.
