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© 2019 the Author(s). ; Faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis I depends upon the formation of connections between homologous chromosomes. Crossovers between homologs connect the partners, allowing them to attach to the meiotic spindle as a unit, such that they migrate away from one another at anaphase I. Homologous partners also become connected by pairing of their centromeres in meiotic prophase. This centromere pairing can promote proper segregation at anaphase I of partners that have failed to become joined by a crossover. Centromere pairing is mediated by synaptonemal complex (SC) proteins that persist at the centromere when the SC disassembles. Here, using mouse spermatocyte and yeast model systems, we tested the role of shugoshin in promoting meiotic centromere pairing by protecting centromeric synaptonemal components from disassembly. The results show that shugoshin protects the centromeric SC in meiotic prophase and, in anaphase, promotes the proper segregation of partner chromosomes that are not linked by a crossover. ; The authors thank the members of the Program in Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology for their constructive comments during this project. A.M.P. is funded by Award BFU2017-89408-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and his program is supported by the Programa de Apoyo a Planes Estratégicos de Investigación de Estructuras de Investigación de Excelencia, which is cofunded by the Castilla–León autonomous government and the European Regional Development Fund (Award CLC–2017–01). R.J.P. was supported by Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence Grant GM103636 and March of Dimes Grant FY14-256. D.S.D. was supported by NIH Grant R01 GM087377.