Olivia Dunne (L), Aleah Finnegan (C), and Haleigh Bryant (R) steal the show at LSU 101. PHOTO: All from Getty Images

Olivia Dunne, Aleah Finnegan, Haleigh Bryant and others steal the show during inaugural performance at LSU 101 ahead of NCAA season

Modified Dec 18, 2024 12:11 GMT

Olivia Dunne, Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan, and other gymnasts stole the spotlight during LSU Gymnastics 101, an intrasquad exhibition held at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge on December 16. The event offered fans a preview of the upcoming season for the LSU Tigers’ gymnastics team.

The 2024 season was memorable for the LSU Tigers, as it claimed its first-ever National Gymnastics title at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. The team scripted history with an overall score of 198.225, finishing ahead of California (197.850), Utah (197.800), and Florida (197.4375).

Ahead of the 2025 season where its primary goal will be to defend its title, the Tigers displayed brilliant routines during the LSU Gymnastics 101 exhibition. On Instagram, one can catch a glimpse of fifth-year seniors, Olivia Dunne and Haleigh Bryant, performing their exercises in the third and sixth slides, respectively, while the Paris Olympian, Aleah Finnegan, can also be spotted in the fifth slide:

In addition to the athletes mentioned above, Chase Brock, Kylie Coen, Alyona Shchennikova, Konnor McClain, Amari Drayton, Sierra Ballard, Lexi Zeiss, Kailin Chio, and head coach Jay Clark can also be seen in the pictures.

In 2025, the LSU Tigers will open its campaign against Iowa State on January 3 at its home venue.

Olivia Dunne on her outlook for the 2025 season and how the Tigers plan to build on last year's success

Olivia Dunne looks on before a meet against the Florida Gators (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

In an interview with New York Post Sports in September 2024, Olivia Dunne was asked about her thoughts on the upcoming season and how the LSU Tigers planned to build on its past success, following the program’s remarkable 2024 season. The 22-year-old responded to the question, saying (beginning at 1:23):

“Yes, we won, but it's time to turn the page. Like, it's a new year, new group of girls. It's a different team. A lot of the girls came back for the fifth year that were seniors last year. But, it's a new year and a new mindset and we have to rebuild bonds with new girls that are on the team and it's fun. Like that's part of the fun of being in college is getting to meet new people.”

“Our freshmen this year are so good at gymnastics and I just think our team is like, the just raw talent of the team is incredible. So, I think there's no lack of talent, it's just that we got to put all the pieces together and see what happens.”

Notably, Zoe Miller, Lexi Zeiss, Kaliya Lincoln, and Kailin Chio are freshmen to watch for the LSU Tigers in the upcoming season.