Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne’s 2-word message imagines shocking LSU return

Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes' girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, has been getting around this summer after calling time on her gymnastics career earlier this year.

Dunne, who met Skenes during their time at LSU, announced her retirement from gymnastics in April. The announcement came after her five-year collegiate career with the LSU Tigers ended prematurely due to an avulsion fracture of the patella.

"Gymnastics, you have filled my heart and will always be a part of me,” Dunne said. “You’ve shaped me into the person I am today, creating memories and sisterhoods that will last a lifetime beyond the sport. You are my first love. “Thank you for everything, gymnastics. You were so good to me."

Dunne shared a clip of her performance on the mat from her time with the Tigers, teasing a return to LSU. She captioned the story:

"6th year?"

While Dunne used her five years of eligibility with the Tigers, athletes are granted an extra sixth year under certain conditions. She featured in LSU's first-ever NCAA team title in 2024. If she decides to return, another title could be on the cards for LSU.

Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne enjoys fun night with Pirates ladies

Since stepping away from the mat, Olivia Dunne has been spending more time with Paul Skenes' Pirates teammates' girlfriend and wives. In her Instagram story on Friday, Dunne shared a glimpse of her time with "Pirates ladies."

"Last night with the Pirates ladies in the Burgh," Dunne captioned her story.

The former LSU athlete gave a shoutout to Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds's wife, Blair.

"Hostess with the mostest," Dunne captioned her story for Blair.

While Dunne enjoyed her night with other Pirates partners, Paul Skenes made a bold statement on Friday, calling for his teammates to do some self-assessment as Pittsburgh heads towards a last-place finish in the National League Central.

"This is a wasted year, if we don't learn what we need to do, we don't know why we didn't go out there and do what we wanted to do, Skenes said. "If those don't happen, then it's a wasted year, in my opinion."

Despite putting together a Cy Young-calibre season, Skenes is not content with personal accolades and calls for collective improvement of the roster.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash