Wood Finishes 10th in National Pommel Finals

Norman, Okla. ? Senior Derric Wood ended his illustrious career as a Husker with a 10th-place finish on the pommel horse at the 2006 NCAA Championships on Saturday in Norman, Okla.  Wood failed to finish in the top eight, which would have earned him All-America honors on the event.

 

After a strong warm-up session, Wood could not last through his routine and suffered a major fall that cost him a full tenth of a point.  After a series of further mishaps that resulted in many smaller deductions, the Nebraska native received a disappointing score of 6.975.

 

“Derric (Wood) looked great in warm-ups today,” Head Coach Francis Allen said.  “He just had problems during his routine.  That’s the way it goes.  He still made finals and that is something to be proud of by itself.  Hundreds of gymnasts train to get to this point and he got here.  He should be very proud of his accomplishments.”

 

Wood, a graduate of Lincoln Southeast, qualified for Saturday’s event finals by finishing in the top 10 during the individual event finals on Friday.  He placed tenth on Friday with a score of 8.60.

 

The only NU gymnast to qualify for the 2006 event finals, Wood represented his school well in the final day of competition and throughout his senior year.  After undergoing multiple surgeries over the course of the last two seasons, Wood came back for his final year determined to reclaim his place among the collegiate elite.  With his finish in today’s competition, it is clear that he achieved what he set out to do.  Overall, Wood earned a team-high seven event titles this year, set a career-high mark of 9.45 on the high bar and was named the Mountain Pacific Gymnast of the Year on two occasions. 

 

For complete results of the 2006 NCAA Championships event finals, please click the link above.