"We got better" - Olivia Dunne and Tigers' coach Jay Clarke react to historic LSU win
Olivia Dunne and the LSU Tigers had the best meet of their season on February 2, and head coach Jay Clarke couldn't be prouder. Battling the Arkansas Razorback, the Tigers were able to put up the highest single-meet score of the season and bounced back perfectly from their loss against Missouri earlier in the year. Their 198.475 also ties for the 14th all-time best score in NCAA history.
Reflecting on the Tigers' near-flawless performance, Clarke noted that the simple difference between the team's meek performance against Missouri in late January and their record-breaking win just a handful of days later was why they “got better.”
“Well, we got better. That’s what this week was about. The focus and the main goal was to get a good performance, a complete performance,” he told LSU Sports.
The coach went on to add that while the audience might be awed by the scores, he and the Tigers are focused solely on their performance, and repeating this feat time and again.
“I know everyone wants to talk about the score tonight and that’s great. I do not focus on whether we get a low or high score. It’s about our performance. We did our job tonight and we can do that same performance somewhere else. For us it’s about keeping our eye on the next step ahead of us and just taking it one step at a time,” Clarke added.
For Olivia Dunne, this meet was made extra special by the fact that she matched her season-best score on the floor. Performing at the Pete Maravich Assembly Centre in only her third meet of the season, the gymnast successfully quelled the injury rumors that had been surrounding her after she foregoed participating in the meets against Kentucky and Missouri.
Taking to the mat, Dunne pulled off a routine with some beautiful choreography and complex moves, earning a 9.875 for her efforts.
Olivia Dunne stuns in black at the Bayou Traditions gala
Shortly after making history at the LSU vs Arkansas meet, Olivia Dunne ditched her purple Tigers leotard in favor of a beautiful black dress, as she attended the Bayou Traditions gala.
The event, organized by the Louisiana State University, and titled “Bayou Traditions Inaugural Gala: A Night of Champions,” intended to raise money for select student-athletes to provide them with Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) opportunities.
Always the stunner, the LSU gymnast showed up to the event in a gorgeous and elegant black dress. The off-shoulder piece featured a thigh-high split, and the gymnast paired the look with some fashionable sneakers.