The 2025 gymnastics season started with Oklahoma beating defending champions LSU on the national rankings chart in the very first week. The LSU Tigers‘ SEC rivals debuted on the rankings with a 197.550 average score compared to LSU’s 197.300. However, after their latest clash (week 2), that gap is only set to grow, as, despite Tigers icon Olivia Dunne‘s best efforts, OU ended their latest regular season meet on top.

LSU clashed with OU, Utah, and California at the 2025 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The defending champions made it a close contest, especially with Dunne’s 9.850 effort on the floor exercise. However, OU took the win on home turf. Oklahoma edged out the Tigers by 000.300 points, scoring 197.950 against LSU’s 197.650.

Dunne’s first attempt to help LSU catch up to their rivals fell flat during the balance beam. “Judges didn’t like Olivia Dunne’s bars routine – 9.725… #LSU still has Chio, Finnegan, and McClain to come,” posted sports columnist Scott Rabalais. However, not everyone agreed with the judges, as some fans posted they had “underscored” Livvy’s balance beam routine.

Another blow for LSU on the balance beam came during Haleigh Bryant‘s routine. The 2024 NCAA All-Around Champion made her much-awaited return to the mat after sustaining a serious elbow ligament injury. Unfortunately, Bryant’s routine also failed to impress the judges, who scored it 9.750. Thankfully, Aleah Finnegan‘s 9.925 on the balance beam got the Tigers closer to OU.

Olivia Dunne once again stepped up during the floor exercise. Her 9.850 was the fourth-highest score for LSU on the floor, behind Finnegan, Amari Drayton, and Kailin Chio. However, this still wasn’t enough to get the 2024 NCAA champions to draw level with Oklahoma. However, the Tigers didn’t seem too disappointed with the second-place finish.

“Strong showing in OKC,” added the official LSU Gymnastics handle, and the same could be said for Livvy Dunne’s performances. Despite a lackluster preseason, the 22-year-old has already shown improvements.

Olivia Dunne is LSU’s ray of hope in a rocky situation

Dunne NIL valuation isn’t the only stat that’s been on an upward trajectory in the past few weeks. Besides the college gymnastics icon’s NIL valuation increasing by over a million to reach $4.2 million, her skills on the mat have also improved. It’s become evident through her recent performances as Tigers head coach Jay Clark expressed his doubts during the pre-session.

Clark didn’t feel satisfied watching the defending champions perform at Pete Maravich Assembly Center for the annual Gymnastics 101 event in December 2024. “Some really good spots, but I saw some things that were also concerning… And that’s concerning as a coach. I don’t want that to happen,” Clark had said after the event. Among those who didn’t impress was probably Olivia Dunne as well.

However, Clark may have changed his mind after watching Dunne’s most recent performances. The 5th-year senior has stepped in as a solid substitute in the absence of one of LSU’s most decorated gymnasts, Haleigh Bryant. By the look of things, it seems like Dunne will continue to play a major part moving forward as the 2024 Honda Sport Award winner situation remains uncertain.

Clark spoke about Bryant still not being up to speed on every apparatus. “We’ve made some significant progress. She… depending on how this week goes and yesterday went well, she will be available at least on balance beam,” the coach said on January 7th. After tonight’s routine, it’s clear that the LSU star is not at full strength yet. So despite losing to OU, the fact that gymnasts like Dunne are stepping up to fill in the gap may be a good sign for the defending champions.