Olivia Dunne

Last updated
Olivia Dunne
Olivia Dunne 2017 USA Artistic Gymnast (cropped).jpg
Dunne in 2017
Personal information
Full nameOlivia Paige Dunne
Nickname(s)Livvy
Country representedFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Born (2002-10-01) October 1, 2002 (age 20)
Westwood, New Jersey
Hometown Hillsdale, New Jersey
Residence Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Height5 ft 6.25 in (168 cm)
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Level NCAA
Years on national team2017 (USA)
ClubENA Paramus
College team LSU Tigers (2021–present)
Head coach(es) Jay Clark
Assistant coach(es)Garrett Griffeth
Courtney McCool-Griffeth
Ashleigh Gnat
Former coach(es)Craig Zappa
Jennifer Zappa
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
City of Jesolo Trophy (junior)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Jesolo Team
TikTok information
Followers7.7 million
Likes397.1 million
Instagram information
Page
Followers4.3 million

Last updated: August 11, 2023

Olivia Paige "Livvy" Dunne (born October 1, 2002) is an American artistic gymnast and social media personality. A former USA national team member and a current member of the LSU Tigers women's gymnastics team, she is the highest-valued women's college athlete as of 2022. [1] Dunne's social media following of over 10 million has resulted in endorsement deals for her name, image, and likeness totaling seven figures. [2]

Contents

Early life

Dunne was born in Westwood, New Jersey in 2002 and raised in Hillsdale, New Jersey. [3] She started her gymnastics training in 2005 at ENA Gymnastics [4] in Paramus, New Jersey. [5] By the time she was 14 years old, Dunne was homeschooled by her mother while she spent her days training with her coach Craig Zappa at ENA Gymnastics. [6] Though she did not attend her public high school, she managed the high school gymnastics team at Pascack Valley High School with her older sister.[ citation needed ]

Gymnastics career

Junior elite

Dunne made her elite debut at the 2014 American Classic where she finished 28th in the all-around. [7] She next competed at the U.S. Classic where she placed 12th in the all-around. [8] In 2015, Dunne re-qualified for elite status at the WOGA Classic, where she earned a qualifying score of 52.750 and placed fifth. [9] She next competed at the American Classic where she placed eighth and qualified to compete at the 2015 National Championships. [10] Dunne competed at the U.S. Classic where she placed 24th in the all-around. [11] Dunne made her National Championships debut in 2015 where she placed 25th in the all-around. [12]

Dunne competed at the 2016 American Classic where she finished 27th in the all-around. [13] She next competed at the 2016 U.S. Classic where she finished 24th. [14] Dunne concluded the season competing at the 2016 National Championships where she finished 12th in the all-around. She also placed eighth on balance beam and sixth on floor exercise. [15] In March 2017, Dunne was selected for the team to compete at the 2017 City of Jesolo Trophy; as a result she was added to the National Team for the first time. [16] She made her international debut there and placed sixth in the all-around. [17] Dunne competed at the 2017 U.S. Classic in July where she finished fifth in the all-around. [18] At the 2017 National Championships Dunne finished ninth in the all-around. [19]

Senior elite

Dunne turned senior in 2018. Although the United States did not send a team, Dunne represented her club at the 2018 City of Jesolo Trophy. She finished 15th in the all-around. [20] She competed at the 2018 U.S. Classic only on uneven bars due to an ankle injury. [21] Dunne qualified to compete at the National Championships via petition. [22] She ended up placing 18th in the all-around. [23] Having not competed during the 2019 season in order to rest her injuries, [24] Dunne officially signed her National Letter of Intent with Louisiana State University in November, starting in the 2020–21 season. [25] Dunne qualified to the 2020 Nastia Liukin Cup after dropping down to Level 10. [26] She ended up placing 11th. [27]

NCAA

Dunne joined the LSU Tigers gymnastics team in 2020. During the 2020–21 season, she competed on the uneven bars in every regular-season meet. [28] She made her NCAA debut in a meet against Arkansas, scoring 9.875. [29] She entered the postseason with an NQS of 9.9 on bars. [30] At the SEC Championships she contributed an uneven bars score of 9.9 to LSU's second-place team finish. [31] At the NCAA Championships semi-finals she again scored 9.9 on bars; LSU did not advance to the finals. [32]

The next season, Dunne again competed on the uneven bars in every regular-season meet and also competed five times on the floor exercise. She matched her career-high of 9.925 on the uneven bars during the opening meet against Centenary. [33] She earned a score of 9.800 in her collegiate debut on floor on January 28. [34] At the SEC Championships she contributed an uneven bars score of 9.875, but LSU was forced to count a fall on that event and finished in fifth place overall. [35] At the NCAA regional semifinals she contributed scores of 9.85 on uneven bars and 9.9 on floor exercise. [36] LSU suffered two uncharacteristic falls on balance beam and as a result was eliminated from the postseason during the first round of regionals, failing to qualify to the national championship as a team for the first time since 2011. After missing much of the 2022–23 season due to various injuries including two torn labrums, a torn biceps, [37] and a stress reaction in her leg, [38] Dunne made her season debut on February 24 against Alabama, scoring a 9.825 on the uneven bars.

Social media fame

Dunne joined the social media platform TikTok in 2020. Initially she posted videos of her gymnastics but later started posting videos of other areas of her life as well. [39] As of February 2023, Dunne is the most-followed NCAA athlete on social media, with more than 7 million followers on TikTok and 4 million on Instagram.

On July 2, 2021, the NCAA changed its rule to allow its athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness. [40] Dunne was projected to earn more than any other collegiate athlete due to her large social-media platform, which was a combined five million followers across both Instagram and TikTok at the time of the rule change. [41] In August, Dunne announced that she signed with WME Sports, becoming their first NIL athlete. [42] A month later, she announced her first exclusive brand partnership with activewear brand Vuori. [43]

As of May 2023 Dunne was the highest-valued women's college athlete with an estimated NIL valuation of $3.3 million, [1] which led to endorsement deals with Grubhub, Vuori, Bodyarmor, and American Eagle Outfitters. In February 2023, she stated during an appearance on the morning program Today that her endorsement deals total seven figures. [2]

On January 6, 2023, a large group of fans showed up to LSU's opening meet of the season at Utah to support Dunne. Some of these fans were reportedly harassing members of both gymnastics teams as well as journalists both during and after the meet. As a result of this, LSU hired additional security staff for the team and implemented increased safety measures including disallowing LSU gymnasts to go into the stands after a meet. Following the incident, Dunne posted a statement to Twitter requesting that her fans be more respectful. [44]

On February 27, 2023, Dunne posted a paid-sponsorship video to TikTok promoting Caktus.AI with the caption "Needing to get my creativity flowing for my essay due at midnight". The video showed her generating an essay using the service, with the camera then panning to show a shocked expression on the star, concluding with the caption "Caktus.AI > ChatGPT". [45] LSU issued a statement that “At LSU, our professors and students are empowered to use technology for learning and pursuing the highest standards of academic integrity. However, using AI to produce work that a student then represents as one’s own could result in a charge of academic misconduct, as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct." [46]

In July 2023, Dunne revealed that she had received more than $500K for a single social media post online. [47] Later that month, Dunne announced that she had partnered with Bayou Traditions to launch The Livvy Fund, a program that will connect female student athletes at LSU with top brands to secure NIL endorsement deals. [48]

Personal life

In August 2023, former LSU pitcher and member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Paul Skenes, gave an interview with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where he discussed his romantic involvement with Dunne. According to the interview, the two started dating because Skenes's best friend at LSU was dating Dunne's roommate and regular TikTok sidekick, Elena Arenas. [49]

Competitive history

YearEventTeamAA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2014 American Classic2831251618
U.S. Classic 3336352920
2015 WOGA Classic5
American Classic8181596
U.S. Classic 2434301412
U.S. National Championships 2527232321
2016 American Classic2726262220
U.S. Classic 2433232013
U.S. National Championships 12222186
2017 City of Jesolo Trophy Gold medal icon.svg6
American Classic126
U.S. Classic 5221166
U.S. National Championships 915978
Senior
2018 City of Jesolo Trophy 15
U.S. Classic 15
U.S. National Championships 18172019
2020 Nastia Liukin Cup 11
NCAA
2021SEC ChampionshipsSilver medal icon.svg5
NCAA Championships SF9
2022SEC Championships517
2023SEC ChampionshipsBronze medal icon.svg28

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordyn Wieber</span> American artistic gymnast and coach

Jordyn Marie Wieber is an American former artistic gymnast turned gymnastics coach. Since April 2019, she has been the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyla Ross</span> American artistic gymnast

Kyla Briana Ross is a retired American artistic gymnast and current assistant coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team. She is the first female gymnast to win NCAA, World, and Olympic championship titles.

Sarah Finnegan is a retired American artistic gymnast and was an alternate for the 2012 Summer Olympics Gymnastics team. She competed for the Louisiana State Lady Tigers at the collegiate level, and was the 2017 and 2019 NCAA champion on uneven bars. She is the older sister of Aleah Finnegan.

Elizabeth "Ebee" Nicole Price is a retired American artistic gymnast. Price was an alternate for the 2012 Summer Olympics Gymnastics team, the 2014 American Cup Champion, and the 2013-2014 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup All Around Series Winner. She was a member of the U.S. Junior National Gymnastics Team from 2010 to 2012 and the US Senior National Team from 2012 to 2014. She retired from international elite gymnastics in April 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurie Hernandez</span> American artistic gymnast

Lauren Zoe Hernandez is an American artistic gymnast. During her debut year as a senior gymnast, she competed as a member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team dubbed the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics; Ultimately, the U.S. won gold in the team event. In the individual events, Hernandez earned the silver medal on the balance beam. She returned to training in late 2018 and expressed interest in making a comeback to earn a spot on the U.S. women's gymnastic team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but she did not qualify for the Olympic Gymnastics Trials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norah Flatley</span> American artistic gymnast

Norah Irene Flatley is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2014 Pacific Rim junior balance beam champion. She previously competed for the UCLA Bruins and also competed for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Jordan Lucella Elizabeth Chiles is an American artistic gymnast. She represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the team event. She was a member of the team that won gold at the 2022 World Championships. Individually, she is the 2022 World vault silver medalist and floor silver medalist. She has been a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Nichols (gymnast)</span> American artistic gymnast

Margaret Mary Nichols is an American former collegiate artistic gymnast. She was the ninth NCAA gymnast to complete a Gym Slam, the first to do so for Oklahoma, and the first NCAA gymnast to have achieved it twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ragan Smith</span> American artistic gymnast

Ragan Elizabeth Smith is an American collegiate gymnast. She is a five-time member of the US National Team (2014–2019). She is the 2017 United States national all-around champion and was an alternate for the 2016 Olympic team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loan His</span> French artistic gymnast

Loan Válerie His is a retired French artistic gymnast. She represented France at the 2016 Summer Olympics and helped the French team finish eleventh. She won a bronze medal with the French team at the 2016 European Championships. She also competed at the 2015 World Championships.

Emma Lauren Malabuyo is a Filipino-American artistic gymnast who represents the Philippines in international competition. She is a five-time member of the U.S. National Team and was an alternate for the 2020 Olympic team. She is currently competing for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team.

Trinity Lemyra Thomas is an American artistic gymnast and a four-time National Team member (2016–20). She was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Pan American Gymnastics Championships, where she also won silver medals in the individual all-around and on the uneven bars, as well as the bronze medalist on balance beam and floor exercise at the 2017 national championships. She is also currently a member of the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team.

Yelena Aleksandrovna "Alyona" Shchennikova is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the U.S. National Team from 2017–19 and was the all-around champion at the 2017 U.S. Classic. She currently competes for Louisiana State in collegiate gymnastics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayla DiCello</span> American artistic gymnast

Kayla Kecia DiCello is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2021 World all-around bronze medalist. On the junior level, she is the 2019 Junior World vault champion and the 2019 U.S. Junior national all-around champion. She was an alternate for the 2020 Olympic team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunisa Lee</span> Hmong-American artistic gymnast (born 2003)

Sunisa "Suni" Lee is an American artistic gymnast. Lee is the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and uneven bars bronze medalist, the 2019 world championship silver medalist on the floor and bronze medalist on uneven bars. She was a member of the teams that won gold at the 2019 World Championships and silver at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleah Finnegan</span> Filipino-American artistic gymnast

Aleah Finnegan is a Filipino-American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the United States' women's national gymnastics team from 2019–21 and was part of the team that won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games. She is currently representing the Philippines in international competition. She is the younger sister of 2012 Olympic alternate Sarah Finnegan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilese Jones</span> American artistic gymnast

Shilese Jones is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the teams that won gold at the 2022 World Championships and the 2018 Pan American Championships. Individually she is the 2022 World all-around silver medalist, as well as the 2022 World uneven bars silver medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konnor McClain</span> American artistic gymnast

Konnor McClain is an American artistic gymnast and a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team. She is the 2022 U.S National Champion and was the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy and the 2019 U.S. Classic Junior All-Around Champion.

Madray Emmanuelle Johnson is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2021 Junior Pan American Games champion on uneven bars and balance beam and is the 2022 U.S. junior national champion.

Zoe Eliana Miller is an American artistic gymnast and a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team. She was a member of the team who won silver at the 2022 Pan American Gymnastics Championships.

References

  1. 1 2 "On3 Women's NIL 100". On3. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  2. 1 2 "College gymnast Olivia Dunne is so popular on TikTok she needs security". Today . 3 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. Cooper, Darren. "Archive: Standout Hillsdale gymnast aiming for the top" Archived 2021-04-22 at the Wayback Machine , The Record , April 4, 2017. Accessed April 21, 2021. "Olivia Dunne’s gymnastics journey began as a quest for a 'pink, sparkly leotard.' It might end with an Olympic medal. The 12-year-old Hillsdale resident left today for the U.Secret Claic in Chicago, where she will be one of the youngest competitors on hand Saturday."
  4. "Olivia Dunne - ENA Gymnastics". ENA Gymnastics . Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  5. "Olivia Dunne USAG profile". USA Gymnastics . Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  6. "Teen Hillsdale Gymnast Swaps School For Sports". Daily Voice . 7 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  7. "Toronjo, Foberg win all-around titles at 2014 American Classic". USA Gymnastics . July 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  8. "Biles, Chiles take Secret U.S. Classic all-around titles". USA Gymnastics . August 2, 2014. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  9. "2015 WOGA Classic Results". The Gymternet. February 14, 2015. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. "16 advance from weekend's American Classic". USA Gymnastics . June 1, 2015. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  11. "Biles, Hernandez win all-around titles at 2015 Secret U.S. Classic". USA Gymnastics . July 25, 2015. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. "Hernandez captures junior women's all-around title at 2015 P&G Championships". USA Gymnastics . August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. "Navarro, Ramler and Hurd top standings at American Classic". USA Gymnastics . May 14, 2016. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. "Alexeeva wins junior title at Secret Classic". USA Gymnastics . June 4, 2016. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  15. "O'Keefe wins first junior U.S. title". USA Gymnastics . June 26, 2016. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. "USA Gymnastics names U.S. Team for Jesolo Trophy". USA Gymnastics . March 25, 2017. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  17. "U.S. women dominate first day of Jesolo Trophy". USA Gymnastics . April 4, 2017. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  18. "Shchennikova, Malabuyo win all-around titles at 2017 U.S. Classic". USA Gymnastics . July 29, 2017. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  19. "O'Keefe wins junior women's all-around standings at 2017 P&G Championships". USA Gymnastics . August 20, 2017. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  20. "2018 City of Jesolo Trophy Results". The Gymternet. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  21. "Olivia Dunne returns to the US Classic for the 5th time". LivvyDunne. July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  22. "Who Qualified to Nationals". The Gymternet. July 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  23. "Biles wins fifth senior women's all-around title at 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships". USA Gymnastics . August 19, 2018. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  24. @livvydunne (July 15, 2019). "hi friends! Unfortunately, I will not be competing this summer due to some healing injuries" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  25. "Gymnastics Announces 2020 Signing Class". LSU Tigers . November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  26. "Final two gymnasts qualify for 2020 Nastia Liukin Cup". USA Gymnastics . February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  27. "Bryant, Rorich win titles at 2020 Nastia Liukin Cup". USA Gymnastics . March 7, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  28. "Teams". roadtonationals.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  29. "No. 3 Gymnastics Opens Season Against Arkansas". LSU Tigers . January 7, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  30. "Teams". roadtonationals.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  31. "Alabama Gymnastics Wins 10th Southeastern Conference Championship with Huge Night in Huntsville". Alabama Crimson Tide . March 20, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  32. "LSU gym suffers heartbreaking, frustrating loss in NCAA Semifinals". The Daily Reveille . April 19, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  33. "Olivia Dunne". LSU. 2020-06-05. Archived from the original on 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  34. "Gymnastics Grinds Out SEC Opener Win Over Georgia". LSU Sports . January 28, 2022. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  35. "Schedule". roadtonationals.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  36. "Schedule". roadtonationals.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  37. Panchal, Ananya (Jan 31, 2023). "Olivia Dunne Holds a Handstand and Midair Splits in Latest TikTok". Sports Illustrated Lifestyle. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  38. columnist, SCOTT RABALAIS | Sports (30 January 2023). "LSU gymnastics: Updating Olivia Dunne's injury status after the Arkansas loss". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  39. "LSU Gymnast doubles as social media star". Tiger TV . September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  40. "Let's make a deal: NCAA athletes cashing in on name, image and likeness". ESPN . July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  41. "LSU gymnast expected to earn more money than any other college athlete". WBRZ-TV . July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  42. @wme_sports (August 19, 2021). "WME Sports is proud to announce we have signed All-American LSU gymnast, Olivia Dunne" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  43. Dosh, Kristi (September 14, 2021). "LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne Announces First NIL Brand Deal Is With Activewear Brand Vuori". Forbes . Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  44. Goldberg, Rob. "LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne Asks Fans for Respect After Disruptive Group at Utah Meet". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  45. "Olivia Dunne on TikTok". TikTok. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  46. Hendricks, Jacklyn (2023-03-03). "Olivia Dunne makes TikTok about AI essay writer, to LSU's chagrin". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  47. Haring, Bruce (2023-07-02). "LSU Gymnast & Influencer Olivia Dunne Reveals She Received $500K+ For A Single Online Post". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  48. "2023 SI Swimsuit Model Olivia Dunne Launches The Livvy Fund at LSU, a Historic Move For Funding Women's Sports". Sports Illustrated . July 6, 2023.
  49. Mackey, Jason (August 18, 2023). "Paul Skenes discusses dating Livvy Dunne and his unique relationship with social media". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Retrieved August 18, 2023.