BATON ROUGE, La. — Gymnast Livvy Dunne is returning for a fifth season at LSU and said on social media that she's “not Dunne yet.”
The move brings back one of college sports' most marketable athletes to a Tigers program coming off its first national championship.
Dunne, 21, read a statement in a video montage posted to Instagram on Monday in which the All-American says, “No matter how many opportunities are presented to me off the mat, there is something special about LSU” and being part of a team that made school history. LSU also shared the post in a news release in which Dunne said she found a renewed love for the sport last season.
Dunne competed in nine competitions last season, competing on the uneven bars and floor events, and twice scored a 9.900 on the latter, most recently at the NCAA Regional second round in Fayetteville. She said she wanted to show her versatility on multiple events.
“I really enjoyed the team dynamic this year and everything worked out well,” said Dunne, whose academic accolades include four All-Southeastern Conference selections and a Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American honor. “Winning the national championships was a great team accomplishment, but I feel like I have more to give as an individual competitor.”
Dunne will return to LSU for one final season alongside NCAA all-around champion Haleigh Bryant, Sierra Ballard, Chase Brock and Alyona Shchennikova. The Hillsdale, New Jersey, native is one of the top earners in name, image and likeness compensation and has a large following on social media.
