Olivia Dunne didn’t just return to the pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit—she came back swinging and took the damn cover. The 22-year-old LSU gymnast-turned-media juggernaut is now the face of the 2025 issue, her third appearance and her crowning moment, shot by Ben Watts against the windswept backdrop of Bermuda.
This isn’t your average college athlete cashing in on a few sponsorships. Dunne is a cultural phenomenon in a leotard, a gymnast with the reach of a pop star and the marketing mind of a Madison Avenue shark. Eight million on TikTok. Five-point-three on Instagram. A built-in audience that would make a Fortune 500 brand salivate—and she’s still young enough to order off the under-25 menu.
She was already SI Swimsuit’s golden girl in 2023, debuting in Puerto Rico like a sun-drenched revelation. She came back in ’24, flipping her way through a sultry Portugal spread. Now, in ’25, she’s front and center on newsstands everywhere—her image soaked in tropical heat, riding the line between collegiate charm and pin-up royalty.
Dunne isn’t just the most famous college athlete of her generation—she’s one of the most powerful. On the bars, she was an All-American in 2021. In 2024, she helped deliver LSU’s first NCAA gymnastics title. In 2025, she planned one final campaign before a knee injury forced her into early retirement. Like all great athletes, she exited the arena on her own terms—one leg in a brace, the other strutting straight into superstardom.
“This shoot felt like the culmination of something bigger,” Dunne told SI, reflecting on the journey from her first spread to now. “I’m nearly a different person… because of those amazing women in the issue who paved the way.”
She’s not just posing in a bikini and collecting likes—Dunne is building empires. In 2023, she launched The Livvy Fund, a war chest aimed at helping LSU’s female athletes score NIL deals. Not content to be the brand, she’s manufacturing others.
“I just want to show girls they can have it all,” she said. “Be a savvy businesswoman. Cash in on your name while still nailing a college degree.”
It’s not just ambition—it’s domination. When Dunne learned she made the cover, the floodgates opened.
“Oh my god, I’m crying,” she said. “Are you kidding me? I’m a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model.”
No, Livvy. No one’s kidding.
The 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is on stands now. You can pick it up anywhere glossy dreams are sold.
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Last modified: May 14, 2025
