Olivia Dunne has become the face of Louisiana State University and how they incentivize their athletes to utilize the NIL. With a valuation of $4 million, Dunne is the highest-paid female NIL in the entire nation. However, the LSU has leveraged the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) policies to help less-known names chase their Olympic dreams. Alia Armstrong is one such example.

Training under Sha’Carri Richardson’s former coach, Dennis Shaver, Armstrong has already made a significant mark at LSU. As a 5th-year senior, she leads LSU’s All-Time Top 10 Performance List with the fastest times in both the indoor 60-meter hurdles (7.81 at the 2022 Tyson Invitational) and the outdoor 100-meter hurdles (12.40 at the 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships). Now, as part of LSU’s NIL lineup, Armstrong is aiming to achieve the same level of success on and off the track as Usain Bolt.

As part of The Money Game docu-series on Amazon, Olivia Dunne’s fellow castmate opened up about her hurdles journey. “My first race in the hurdles just felt natural. It felt like God was like, ‘This is your destiny. This is what I’m placing you on earth for.'” Alia Armstrong said in the first episode of the first season. However, the sky is the limit for her ambitions.

“I’ve broken a lot of records. I’ve broken the school record, the SEC record. I really want the world record,” Alia Armstrong said during Episode 1: The Wild West. It’s this ambitious nature, coupled with historic performances, that implored the athlete to get into the NIL program. Hoping to alleviate financial strain while chasing her dream, Armstrong followed in Dunne’s footsteps.

Since the NIL made it possible for collegiate athletes to earn money through brand deals, Olivia Dunne has capitalized on the opportunity for years. It was the gymnast’s success that reminded Armstrong of her value. “I’m too big of an athlete and too big of a name at LSU to not be making money,” the hurdler disclosed in the documentary series.

After earning a 9th-place finish in the finals of the 2024 U.S Track and Field Olympic Trails, the SEC record holder’s future looks bright. However, she doesn’t just hope to replicate Usain Bolt’s track success. Besides his world records, the Jamaican legend is among the most financially successful athletes in track and field history. Armstrong hopes to join that club using the NIL as a springboard. Meanwhile, the LSU Tigers member had a different goal for her last year at LSU.

Olivia Dunne created history at LSU

The New Jersey native clearly defined her goals for “her last year of gymnastics ever” in the first half of the first episode. After working with several brands and growing her social media following, the multimillionaire achieved the financial success many successful athletes have strived to achieve for years. However, that didn’t mean the 21-year-old Livvy had nothing to prove.

“It’s time to make the little girl I was proud,” Olivia Dunne said in the first episode. “The expectation is to win a national championship with my team, because it’s never been done here at LSU before. I think this year we have what it takes,” the star gymnast said. It looks like this part of the episode came early in the year, as indeed, they had what it took, clinching LSU gymnastics’ first-ever title at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship.

In fact, it was this success with the Lady Tigers that compelled her not to make a comeback. Dunne took to social media to say that “there’s something about being part of the team that made school history” and that she “was not Dunne yet!” It seems that both Alia Armstrong and the LSU Tigers star have some lofty dreams to chase in their final year at their alma mater. Are you enjoying their presence in The Money Game documentary series? Let us know below!