As Karrie Thomas, sidelined by injury, watched teammate Carly Woodard and Oklahoma fall one tenth shy of an NCAA Championship last April, she wasn't sure she'd have another chance to compete for the Sooners.
However, Thomas and Woodard, both seniors during the 2021 season, were offered an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fellow seniors Anastasia Webb, Evy Schoepfer and Jordan Draper chose to forgo a fifth-year and move on from gymnastics, but Thomas and Woodard eagerly accepted the opportunity.
Now, the fifth-year seniors are more excited than ever to continue their college gym careers, sporting the crimson and cream one last time in hopes of bringing OU its fourth national championship in six years.
“Last year I never even thought in the beginning that we would even get another year,” Thomas said on Friday, two days ahead of OU’s 2022 season opener. “Every opportunity now is just like an extra bonus, so I’m just looking forward to whatever comes our way, looking forward to what is offered and just to represent OU one more time is an incredible feeling, any time we go out to the LNC it will just be a blessing.”
Before her injury last season, Thomas, a Coral Springs, Florida native, hit a career high in beam with a 9.975 and matched career highs in bars with a 9.95 and on floor with a 9.9.
But, the former Maryland Terrapin sustained a right mid-ankle sprain in April after missing her final landing on beam in the NCAA Regionals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, just two weeks prior to the national championship. Following an abrupt ending to Thomas’ 2021 season, she hopes to use the adversity she faced to fuel her final performances at Oklahoma.
“I don’t want anyone to ever experience that, but I think I learned a lot from that moment, and I am very proud of myself for how I’ve overcome that and I’m just looking forward to this year and to prove to myself that I can do it again,” Thomas said.
Woodard competed on floor for the first time in her career during the 2021 season opener and scored a 9.825. She also matched her career high of 9.95 on beam before suffering a foot injury in January that cost her seven meets last season.
The 5-foot-5 competitor from Overland Park, Kansas returned from injury on March 5 against BYU and scored a 9.875 on beam, helping OU to a victory in its final home meet.
Encountering frustrating road-blocks like Woodard and Thomas faced can be detrimental to some, but the duo chose to focus on the positives and worked to overcome physical challenges.
“In the world of gymnastics, it’s inevitable to have injuries,” Woodard said. “But, I think that we have a lot of depth on each event, and that is something that we’re really focused on is making sure that we have multiple people that can go in if an injury does happen like last year did.”
Thomas, Woodard and Oklahoma will hold their 2022 season opener at 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 9, in Norman on ESPN. Asked if they’re excited to take on Alabama and begin their final college seasons, Thomas and Woodard smiled and exclaimed: “Yes!”
