The 2024-25 NCAA gymnastics season is on the bucket list of many fans of the sport. Why so? There’ve only been a few events, but all the stints on the mat have impressed the community and have left them to demand more from these talented gymnasts like Olivia Dunne. And who’s on the watchlist of the fans? LSU Tigers are the reigning champion, and anything around the squad immediately becomes something of fans’ interest.

However, the recent removal of 20-year-old Annie Beard from the roster sparked intense speculation from the community. Why so? There was no official statement regarding the roster change, but when she wasn’t present in the opener against Iowa State, questions started to linger. However, the community recently pointed the finger at Dunne, who came under scrutiny for not posting anything about her LSU teammate, despite her social media fame.

The LSU star’s situation might be deeper than the community thought

The LSU Tigers started off their 2024-25 season with a bang after a massive win against Iowa State. Indeed, fans did expect the reigning champions to overcome any team they came against, and they did prove the community right. However, questions were raised when the Tigers’ 21-gymnast roster didn’t include the name of Annie Beard on January 6.

Indeed, it was stranger, as the 20-year-old was spotted with the Tigers during the Gymnastics 101 and was even seen attending training sessions prior to the season with her teammates. Going back in time, the event prior to the season opener saw Beard falling on the beam during her performance. The gymnast didn’t even complete her floor routine and just left the mat without any notice. That time, while fans thought that she was just having a bad day, the rabbit hole went even deeper.

On December 22, taking to social media, Beard posted a few childhood pictures. Cute, isn’t it? While it’s adorable for her to go through her early gymnastics memory, it did spark retirement rumors in the community. Furthermore, the speculations got even more solid when the gymnast wasn’t spotted among the Tigers right before their season opener. However, during the same time on January 6, she was spotted at the Functional 45 training facility, and it looked like Beard is set to get her fitness back before she makes her official arrival on the mat for the Tigers.

Indeed, not having Beard on the team gives a huge blow to LSU. They need their best of the best to defend their NCAA title, and they need to be at their peak form to get over the competition. However, while there have been no updates from the team regarding Beard, this made many fans anxious about the situation, and some on Reddit even targeted Olivia Dunne because she didn’t post anything about her teammate’s absence in the NCAA season.

Olivia Dunne falling under the clutches of critics

But why Olivia Dunne out of all the other LSU gymnasts? Guess who has a massive social media following? Indeed, anything that she posts comes under the community’s notice, for which many expected her to post about her teammate who hasn’t been in the NCAA, despite the anticipation. One fan stated, “This sucks tbh, also the amount Olivia talks on social media I’m surprised she hasn’t talked about one of her teammates.” Similarly, another fan wrote, “The girl is only about her own fame, and doesn’t give a s**t for her teammates anyways.” 

It’s not the first time for Dunne to come under such scrutiny. Even her staying in the squad made the critics give her the moniker of “benchwarmer.” But for what reason? Remember the NCAA 2023-24 season’s finale? Dunne wasn’t part of the final squad, but since she did participate in many events with the Tigers in the NCAA campaign, when her team lifted the title, she also became an NCAA champion.

While it was common for any gymnast to celebrate her team’s victory, the reaction from the fans wasn’t positive. So despite being part of the Tigers again in the current season, Olivia Dunne gave no updates on her dropped teammate, causing one fan to comment, stating, “Olivia doesn’t even give two s**ts about Annie, if so she’d have said about it a while ago.” Another fan commented, “I’m surprised you are expecting her to care about anyone apart from herself.” Calling her out for her social media fame, one fan stated, “Lol, she’s only on social media for clout. Nothing else.”

Fans will naturally speculate, given the lack of an official statement from the team regarding Beard’s absence from the squad. And until someone provides an update, the rumors will continue to grow.