Olivia Dunne’s Failure Sparks LSU’s Defeat as Arkansas Picks Up Shock Win in NCAA Battle

Olivia Dunne is back at LSU for one final season, and she’s got one thing on her mind: one more NCAA trophy. The 2025 NCAA Gymnastics season started off pretty strong for the Tigers. LSU started strong with a win over Iowa State on January 3, setting high expectations for the season. They faced a major test at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Session II, where they lost to Oklahoma but quickly rebounded with victories over California and Utah. Everything seemed to be going their way—until the unexpected happened.

On January 24, they took on Arkansas in their SEC road opener. The Tigers were confident, but the outcome wasn’t what anyone expected. They ended up losing to No. 14 Arkansas, which was a huge disappointment for a team that had been so dominant up until that point. It was a tough loss for the defending national champs, especially with all the hype surrounding Olivia Dunne and the team’s strong start.

This season Olivia Dunne has been an impressive force to be reckoned with. During the Florida victory, Dunne delivered a superb floor routine that propelled LSU to victory and she aimed to carry this success forward into the Arkansas conference competition. But she didn’t have her best night, she certainly didn’t have her worst either. LSU expected more from Olivia but she finished her competition in a position below what the team required. The team’s victory remained elusive even with strong performances by Kailin Chio, Aleah Finnegan and Haleigh Bryant.

The Tigers are currently undergoing their toughest challenge of the season. They should overcome this defeat by demonstrating their ability to recover. The team needs to do more than regain their previous performance level because they must prove they have enough determination to bounce back stronger from defeat. The NCAA Gymnastics judgment process has become a hot topic of discussion following LSU’s defeat at the hands of Arkansas.

Olivia Dunne’s LSU’s tough loss sparks controversy over NCAA Gymnastics scoring

After the LSU team faced a tough loss against Arkansas, this left fans frustrated and questioning the judging. Despite strong performances from LSU’s stars—Kailin Chio, Konnor McClain, and Aleah Finnegan—the Tigers just couldn’t close the gap, falling short as Arkansas claimed the win. Chio’s vault (9.95), McClain’s bars (9.925), and Finnegan’s beam (9.925) were standout moments, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Arkansas’ all-around victory with Joscelyn Roberson scoring 39.350. Fans took to social media to express their discontent, with one saying, “Congratulations to the judges for orchestrating this win for Arkansas – too many drastically underscored routines for LSU, unbelievable.”

The recent loss has ignited a broader conversation about NCAA gymnastics scoring, especially with the new, stricter grading system in place this season. The Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) introduced the Collegiate Judging Initiative (CJI) to promote fairness and consistency in scoring. This initiative, launched in May 2024, focuses on aligning scores more closely with a target, with judges’ rankings based on how accurately they score routines. The aim is to ensure a more level playing field across competitions.

While the shift has led to fewer perfect 10s, it’s also prompted some surprising results. Fans, particularly those of LSU, have voiced frustrations over what they see as undervalued performances. Despite this, the new system places greater emphasis on consistency and accuracy rather than rewarding perfection. This change could ultimately enhance fairness in the sport. For LSU, and Olivia Dunne the focus now is on bouncing back from this setback, with their next chance coming on January 31 against Missouri at the Pete Maravich Center in Baton Rouge. Fans are hopeful that the Tigers will use this challenge as motivation to come back stronger,