Sports Illustrated Selected Olivia Dunne as a Swimsuit Rookie for the Second Year in a Row

In the next issue, the NCAA’s highest-paid athlete offers her thoughts on empowering women through The Livvy Fund.

The LSU gymnast and social media sensation has been nominated a “rookie” for the 2024 SI Swimsuit 60th Anniversary Issue, less than a year after making her debut in the SI Swimsuit Issue.

“Coming back for Year 2, I mean, last year I said it was a dream come true, and nothing’s changed,” Dunne, 21, said on Instagram. “It’s still a dream come true for me.” I can’t believe I’m still a rookie. It’s surreal.”

SI posted footage from Dunne’s October picture session in Porto, Portugal, where she posed in a variety of bikinis against a stunning lakeside setting.

The model and influencer’s initial appearance in the magazine earlier this year made her one of the first collegiate athletes to be included in the coveted edition.

“Women’s sports is something that I want to support and leave my legacy on,” Dunne said at the time. “I want to show other athletes that you can have it all — especially women.”

Dunne, the highest-paid NCAA female athlete, used her most recent appearance in the magazine to explain her achievements in the NIL area.

In July, she announced the creation of The Livvy Fund, which “provides opportunities exclusively to female athletes at LSU,” according to a university press release at the time.

“I’m so excited to build on the momentum of women in sports by utilizing the brand relationships I’ve built to help empower LSU female student-athletes with the knowledge and assistance to succeed in the NIL space,” Dunne said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I’ve been so blessed these past couple years with the opportunities I’ve been given, and I can’t wait to be able to share my knowledge with others and support them in their NIL journeys.”

Dunne is a senior at LSU who now travels with a security guard owing to increasing scrutiny.

She told PEOPLE earlier this month that she is glad for her college experience and for learning how to negotiate her celebrity.

“Last year was probably one of the most rewarding and most difficult years of my life,” she told me. “Just having so many eyes on me was such a new feeling, but it was pretty cool at the same time.”

Dunne, who is now managing her public love connection with baseball player Paul Skenes, noted that she is “still learning” how to manage her private and internet lives.

“I’ve definitely learned over the past few years that, this past year mostly, that keeping certain things private is okay,” the student-athlete from Louisiana State University said.