After all the noise had quieted, after the medals were awarded, the banners raised, and the final routines danced across the mat, Olivia Dunne stood alone in the LSU gym — the place that had been her second home, her battleground. Well, the journey hadn’t ended the way she dreamed. Back in January, Livvy made her season debut against Arkansas, delivering a powerful 9.70 on the floor, but that would end up being her only appearance. The cruel hand of fate — an avulsion fracture — took the rest away. She fought through the pain, stayed suited up, and cheered louder than anyone for her teammates. She hoped. She pushed. She dreamed of slipping on her hand grips one last time and swinging through the bars at the NCAA Championships. But sometimes, even the fiercest hearts can’t change destiny. LSU too, couldn’t repeat its performance from last year. 

On April 17, LSU’s season ended in the NCAA semifinals. Olivia Dunne watched it all unfold from the sidelines, her heart breaking quietly beneath her smile. She never made it back into the competition lineup. Her college gymnastics career — her brilliant, stormy, passionate ride — ended not with a soaring dismount, but with silent goodbye glances from the edge of the mat. Heart-wrenching? More than words can say. She didn’t hide the ache. On social media, Olivia poured her emotions into bittersweet posts, including one that simply read, “gymnastics, i will love you forever.” Her words are a testimony to the reality that some things never really leave you — they live inside you, stitched into your soul. But it wasn’t till days later, that she would bid her final goodbye. 

Then came April 24. Olivia returned to the LSU gym — one last time. Not to train, not to compete, but to say goodbye. On her Snapchat, she shared pieces of the moment: First, a photo of a pile of worn-out hand grips, captioned with three crying emojis and the words, “cleaning out my locker and…..” Then, a picture of her empty locker — the brown metallic shell where years of dreams and battles had lived — simply captioned, “this is so weird.” Next, the most poignant image: a victory sign flashed in front of the empty locker. Her face hidden, the moment heavy with feeling. The caption? 

A play on Olivia’s own words from when she’d decided to return for a fifth year:“livvy is dunne.” And then — one last clip. Livvy on the uneven bars, gliding, swinging, flying — as if to tell the world that even when the arena falls silent, the love for the craft never dies. The caption beneath it:“the grind never stops tho.” And it wasn’t just a goodbye to the gym. It was a goodbye to an entire era of her life — the little girl who fell in love with gymnastics, the teenager who rose to fame, the fierce competitor who fought for every point.

That night, somewhere between the tears and the memories, Livvy closed a chapter she had written with blood, sweat, heart, and so much joy. But another was waiting under the silvery light. 

Olivia Dunne signs off in her style 

April 24 wasn’t just another night in Baton Rouge — it was the night. A night of celebration. A night of bittersweet goodbyes, laughter, and tears intertwined on a night where memories were given a final bow. And how did it go? 

Well, inside LSU’s banquet hall, the Tigers gathered one last time as a family. Olivia Dunne, dressed in her signature warmth and grace, was there among them—not on the mat, not in the lineup, but seated with her teammates, her friends, and her sisters. Aleah Finnegan. Kailin Chio. Konnor McClain. So many familiar faces. So many journeys that had run side by side for years, now converging for a final farewell. And Coach Jay Clark stood before them, handing out words that carried more weight than any trophy. And when it was Kailin Chio’s turn — the freshman sensation who had lit up the season, earning SEC honors and a national individual award — the room swelled with pride. From her seat, Olivia Dunne clapped the loudest, her face lighting up with pride and love, cheering for the future she once helped build.

After all, it wasn’t about the titles or medals anymore. It was about the moments. The inside jokes in the locker room and endless nights of practice. The unbreakable bond of a team that had weathered every storm together. For Livvy, it was the perfect way to lower the curtain — not with sadness, but with gratitude.