Olivia Dunne is off to a hot start in her rookie season with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
The LSU gymnastics senior showed off her fit physique in a white bikini by Ola Vida in the first photos from her rookie shoot for the 2024 SI Swimsuit issue.
Dunne, 21, modeled a skirt by BABEN and a necklace by Vanessa Mooney in the photos, which were taken in Porto and North of Portugal in October.
“I can’t believe I can call myself a rookie,” she told the magazine. “Coming back for Year 2, I mean, last year I said it was a dream come true, and nothing’s changed.
“It’s still a dream come true. I can’t believe I can call myself a rookie. It feels unreal.”
Dunne — who is currently the NCAA’s highest-earning female athlete — made her SI Swimsuit debut in the 2023 issue, which was released in May.
The blonder beauty posed in front of lush trees and along cobblestone streets in her rookie photo shoot, and described the experience as being “awesome.”
SI Swimsuit announced that Dunne was a part of its 2024 rookie class on Monday, when their official Instagram page shared behind the scenes videos of the gymnast’s photo shoot.
“Such an honor!” Dunne wrote in the comments.
“Baby’s first rookie photo,” MJ Day, the editor in chief of SI Swimsuit, said in one video.
Dunne was ecstatic while she reacted to seeing the photos.
“Ever since my last SI shoot, I feel like it just opened a bunch of new doors into the modeling world and media world,” she said. “I announced at the ESPYs, I worked with new magazine brands, and it’s just been really cool.”
The New Jersey native received an outpouring of congratulatory messages from fellow SI Swimsuit models including 2024 rookies, Jena Sims and Brooks Nader, who was one of four cover stars for the 2023 SI Swimsuit issue.
“Hell ya,” Sims wrote.
“Love u ROOKIE BABY,” Nader shared.
Christen Harper — the 2022 SI Swimsuit co-Rookie of the year, who is engaged to Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff — added a bunch of heart-eyes emojis and exclamation points.
Dunne gushed over the friendships she’s made since joining the SI Swimsuit family.
“Last year was my first year [with SI Swimsuit], and all the girls welcomed me with open arms — I consider them my SI family now,” Dunne said.
“Everyone is just so friendly, and we just have a blast on set.”
Dunne had her mother, Katherine, and older sister Julz — whom she referred to as her “everything” and her “partner in crime” — on the set of her rookie photo shoot.
The 2024 issue marks the 60th anniversary of SI Swimsuit and is set to be released in May 2024.
