The LSU Tigers know how to take care of business. Especially when it involves winning. This Saturday, inside the REC Hall, we saw this picture right before our eyes. The Penn State regional featured the big shots: #8 Michigan, #9 Kentucky, and #16 Arkansas. And LSU, oh, they were one super senior short, with Olivia Dunne out due to injury. They probably would have felt more confident with her expertise. But guess what?

Tonight, they did perfectly alright without her. Confident as ever, the Tigers are coming off their second straight SEC title win just last month. That made them the champions for the fifth time in the last eight years, including two consecutive championships under head coach Jay Clark. And even though Olivia Dunne was injured, she showed up to celebrate the moment with her teammates. But she knew it. They knew it too. That was hardly the top, as the regionals climb was yet to come. But guess what? That’s a ticked milestone now!

Yes, the LSU gymnastics team was fighting for a top place at the NCAA Regional Final, and guess what? They grabbed just that! Thanks to their 198.050 winning score, the LSU Tigers now have a shot at another national championship. Well, this is pretty historic if you ask us. It marks the first time in program history that the Tigers scored over a 198.050 scoreline in both regional rounds, and this, by the way, is also their 15th regional title in program history!

Well, with this, they forced LSU Head Coach Jay Clark to eat his words he said on March 24, when the Tigers were seeded # 1. He had said, “It’s great for our program to get that No. 1 seed, but we haven’t arrived yet.” He had opined, or rather predicted, “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.” But guess what? Despite Coach Clark raining on their parade, the LSU Tigers went on to prove their supremacy, even without Olivia Dunne in the lineup. This is commendable!

Want a little summary of who shone the most? Well, the night started with the Tigers’ strong outing on the uneven bars. Lexi Zeiss led things right away with a 9.925, followed by Haeleigh Bryant and Kailin Chio, who struck two 9.900s, too. What came next on the balance beam was never seen before. LSU shattered program records on the beam as it finished with a 49.675 – the highest regional beam score in Tiger history. All credit goes to Bryant, Konnor McClain, Aleah Finnegan, Chio, and Sierra Ballard.

Next up was the floor, and fans went gaga watching Konnor McClain’s return to it for the first time since her long-drawn Achilles injury in May 2024. Amary Drayton and Finnegan added quite a pop to the night, too. Finally, for the fourth and final event, LSU opened the show on the vault. While KJ Johnson put them in a strong position, Bryant, the super senior, had to come save the day after Chio nearly failed to stick her landing. It’s for damage repair like this that super seniors like Olivia Dunne are truly missed.

But now as the Tigers head to the semifinals against Michigan State on April 17, what’s the update on Olivia Dunne’s status? Her injury continues to sideline her, or is she coming?

Silence on Olivia Dunne’s status as she heads home

Well, Olivia Dunne is currently battling an avulsion fracture in her patella, which, as per coach Jay Clark, “It’s an unusual injury—I had to look it up. I didn’t even know what the retinaculum in the knee was.” Even ahead of major LSU competitions, he has remained silent on Olivia Dunne’s status.

But Dunne, she hasn’t been. Last year too, as the LSU gymnasts bagged their first-ever title, she watched from the sidelines. Looks like, she is fated to a similar destiny this time around too. “No better feeling😭”, featured the 22-year-old in a recent TikTok video where she publicized that she was “going home after an away meet.” 

And when fans asked her sarcastically if she was coming back for her ninth season, she responded with, “I should.” Not just that, when another fan asked why she was headed back so early and wasn’t competing, she said, “I’m recovering from a fractured kneecap.” So yeah, that’s the update from Olivia Dunne, while coach Jay Clark remains silent on the matter. However, he’ll sure give his flowers to the gymnasts who bagged such an incredible feat! What do you think of it? Let us know below!