Olivia Dunne drops a three-word message as she shares glimpses of celebrations after her boyfriend Paul Skenes wins NL Rookie of the Year

By Agnijeeta Majumder

Modified Nov 20, 2024 05:34 GMT

Olivia Dunne celebrated her boyfriend Paul Skenes' achievement after he received the 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year honor. The Pirates Pittsburgh pitcher won the award despite his team missing the post-season for the ninth straight year, finishing with 76 wins and 86 losses.

Dunne, who met Skenes at LSU in Baton Rouge, first noticed the latter's height and found him cute, without knowing which sport he played. In a September podcast, “Best of Both Worlds”, she candidly spoke about how her interest in the MLB player sparked.

"I would kind of see him around and I was like, ‘Who is this tall guy — this tall mysterious man. I literally had no clue who he was, but I would just see him around."

The couple's relationship was first rumored in June 2023 and the MLB pitcher confirmed dating the gymnast two months later in August. Since then, they made several public appearances and went on vacations together, even spending time at home with Olivia Dunne's pet dog, Roux.

On November 19, 2024, the couple shared a frame again, but this time to celebrate Skenes' monumental 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year honor. In a photo carousel posted on Instagram, they looked cozy at the Colonel’s Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the celebration was held.

"that was cool," Dunne's comment read.

The 22-year-old donned a red dress. One of the slides also featured the LSU senior posing with the cookie cake with “Rookie & A Cookie. Congrats ROY” icing on top.

Olivia Dunne expressed gratitude for Paul Skenes' gesture of providing her private jets for seamless travels

Olivia Dunne performs during the 2024 LSU Archive - (Source: Getty)

Juggling gymnastics, shoots, and attending classes made it difficult for the LSU senior to make time out for Skenes since she invested more time in traveling. In conversation with 'Best of Both Worlds', she expressed gratitude to the Pittsburgh pitcher for sending her private planes to reach her destination sooner.

"Paul, he kind of gets me, Charters me like my own little private planes because being at school like I'm busy and I don't really have time to like drive to to fly out of New Orleans or go on connecting flights and spend a whole day traveling. So Paul will sometimes provide an easier way of getting from point A to point B for me which I'm grateful for," she said.

Olivia Dunne was part of the LSU gymnastics team that won its first National title at the 2024 NCAA Division I Championships. She will next take the mat on January 3, 2024, going against Iowa State in the 2025 season.