Feb. 9, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Big 12 Conference has named senior All-American Sarah Shire Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for the third time this season. It is Shire's 10th weekly award overall from the conference, which puts her solely in second on the list of the most Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors (she was tied at second with nine).

Shire helped Missouri (6-1) to a 195.125-192.975 win over New Hampshire last Saturday, Feb. 6 at the fourth annual Beauty and the Beast meet. She won the all-around (39.275), vault (9.825) and floor (9.900) titles and also tied for the beam title (9.800). It marked the third all-around title of the season for the Missouri native and the 16th of her career.

The senior is now one Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honor away from tying Nebraska's Emily Parsons with the most in Big 12 Conference history at 11.

Shire and the rest of the Missouri gymnastics team will travel to Shreveport, La., this Friday (Feb. 12) for a meet against the Ladies of Centenary College. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m.