Olivia Dunne’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photoshoot was something of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it experience.
When reflecting on the career highlight at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville this week, LSU’s superstar gymnast revealed the rapid-fire turnaround of the shoot, which took place in January just as her season was getting underway.
“We went to Puerto Rico, it was right when my gymnastics season started, and they usually take six days to shoot it, and I obviously can’t take six days off from the beginning of my season,” Dunne said, according to Outkick.
Once she got the green light from her coach — one day off, in total — she jetted to the scenic destination for the shoot.
“I prayed for good weather and then I shot and I came back to school,” Dunne said.
The 20-year-old gymnast made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in the 2023 issue, which was released last month.
Dunne was photographed by renowned photographer Ben Watts for the spread, which featured the NCAA’s highest-earning female athlete modeling a variety of swimsuits from brands such as Sommer Swim, Deep Blue Bikini Co., Gucci, and more.
“Just getting the opportunity to be in SI Swimsuit was such a dream of mine and when it happened, I actually could not believe it,” Dunne expressed to the iconic publication.
A rising senior, Dunne is a social media sensation who boasts more than 11 million followers across her Instagram and TikTok pages.
The New Jersey native also boasts a NIL valuation of $3.4 million, according to On3, following the NCAA’s rule change in 2021 that enables student-athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness.
Although Dunne has enjoyed immense success in the NIL space, the topic isn’t discussed much with her LSU teammates.
“When I’m in the gym, I never talk about NIL with my teammates, or at all. We talk about normal college things. When we’re in the locker room, it’s normal locker room talk,” Dunne said, Outkick previously reported.
“It’s never about brand deals. It’s never about NIL.”
That said, she does welcome greater discussions with her teammates if they ask for advice on potential opportunities.
“Sometimes a teammate or two will come up and ask me for advice about it… but even then, we talk about it more in-depth later on,” she said.
Dunne has secured brand deals with numerous companies over the years, including American Eagle and activewear label Vuori.
