Olivia Dunne is making sure her final year at LSU counts, even though she’s currently sidelined due to an injury. But don’t worry, she’s not stressing at all. She knows her teammate, whom she calls the “GOAT,” is holding it down while she recovers. Any guesses on who it is? Here’s a hint: she’s the 2024 NCAA team and all-around champion. Yep, it’s Haleigh Bryant! And just like Olivia, Haleigh is also in her last year at LSU. But wait—why is it her last year when she’s already graduated?

Well, thanks to the NCAA’s COVID policy, athletes got an extra year of eligibility. And, of course, Coach Jay Clark isn’t about to let this star slip away without going for another NCAA title. But did Coach Clark pressurize Haleigh to come back for one more season? Hmm, that’s the real question! But here we are!! Haleigh revealed the surprising truth herself!

Olivia Dunne’s BFF Haleigh Bryant had a big decision to make for her fifth and final year at LSU—return to gymnastics for one more season or walk away after achieving everything she’d hoped for, including helping her team win LSU’s first NCAA title. At first, she was unsure, and it wasn’t until she sat down with Coach Jay Clark that things started to feel clearer. “I really still didn’t have a decision until I went to meet with Jay,” she shared in an interview with Olympics.com on March 17.

“If I would have ended last year, I would have accomplished everything I wanted to and left with no regrets.” But the conversation with Coach Clark didn’t feel like a push. Her main focus was developing a training strategy alongside achieving peak physical fitness before facing major championship events. The support Haleigh received from Coach Clark showed impeccable judgment because the pressure was completely absent from her coaching tactics.

“He didn’t push it on me,” she said. “I feel like sometimes they’re like, ‘Oh, we need you to come back. We need you to do this,’ and he left it completely up to me.” The process of making this decision on her own would have given her a sense of control.  “That was something that was like, ‘Okay, this is going to come down to my decision and what I want to do,’” said Haleigh. Also, their discussion did not end here, as Haleigh herself mentioned, “We really just talked about everything… about what we could do in the preseason differently to make sure I’m the best version of myself [at the end of the season].”

The training adjustment plans received through discussion with the coach, were to ensure Haleigh would be at her best during the regional and national championship tournaments. Haleigh decided to return after having this vital conversation. “Everything he was talking about and how we were going to go about everything was just something that kind of flipped my mind, and I was like, ‘Okay, I really want to do this,’” she said.  The choice stemmed from self-belief combined with the realization that her best performance awaited in the future.

But even after she decided to come back, things weren’t exactly smooth for Haleigh. At one point, she was even on the verge of missing a meeting in December, but Olivia Dunne was there for her.

Olivia Dunne and Haleigh Bryant’s legendary friendship

Haleigh Bryant’s return to competition hasn’t been the easiest, but she’s pushing through. After an elbow injury in December sidelined her for a bit, she missed the start of the season but slowly worked her way back into form. By late February, she returned to compete in all-around events by scoring 39.500 points against Kentucky. She even improved her performance by achieving a score of 39.775 in a competition against Auburn. Through it all, Haleigh remains steadfast in her desire to put forth her best performance as an LSU senior. But it wasn’t possible without her BFF!

Throughout their struggles, Haleigh received continuous support from her closest friend, Olivia Dunne. Olivia stood in support of Haleigh even though she needed recovery time herself from her injury. Both athletes shared a special moment when they stood united while receiving love from their teammates and spectators.

On March 8, Olivia Dunne posted a photo of the LSU meet night, captioning it “🐐 4ever,” a tribute to Haleigh’s incredible gymnastics career and their unbreakable bond. Haleigh also shared a post, promising, “till the end❤️🤞,” showing that their friendship will last beyond LSU.