Shari Retton

SHARI RETTON 1982-85

Shari Retton Timko was WVU’s first women’s sports All-American, earning first-team honors in the all-around, floor exercise, uneven bars and vault at the 1982 AIAW National Gymnastics Championships in Memphis, Tennessee.

A four-year letterwinner from Fairmont, West Virginia, Retton helped the 10th-seeded Mountaineers finish third at the 1982 national championships, posting a third-place individual finish in the all-around (36.30) as a freshman. Retton, a two-time team captain, went on to earn a number of accolades, including NCAA regional balance beam champion, Most Valuable Gymnast and Atlantic 10 Senior of the Year. WVU qualified for the NCAA Regionals each year during her career. She was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

The daughter of Ronnie Retton, who captained WVU’s 1959 NCAA runner-up basketball team, she is the older sister of Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton; their brother Ron played baseball at WVU. Retton, who is married to former WVU quarterback Mike Timko, currently lives in Houston, Pennsylvania.