Firing surprises Whitworth coach

Former Whitworth College softball coach Teresa Hansen Laher claims she was blindsided by the school’s recent decision to not renew her contract.

The college announced Hansen Laher’s termination earlier this week with a two-sentence press release, and Pirates athletic director Scott McQuilken, when contacted about the matter by The Spokesman-Review, refused to go into specifics about what led to the dismissal.

Hansen Laher, who was 88-127 in six seasons at Whitworth, said she was first informed that her contract would not be renewed last Friday, almost three weeks after the Pirates closed their 2005 campaign at home by sweeping a doubleheader with Lewis & Clark College.

“This decision by the college was made with no warning and came as a total surprise to me and my family,” Hansen Laher said in a prepared statement given to The Spokesman-Review. She added that “no reason has been provided for this decision.”

McQuilken said he sat down with Hansen Laher at the end of the season to review the operation of her program. The discussion, he said, covered a variety of issues ranging from administrative matters to compliance with NCAA rules.

“It’s a standard end-of-the-year review we do with all our programs,” McQuilken explained, “and after doing that, it was my decision to go another direction.”

The Pirates finished 23-14 overall this spring and 18-8 in the Northwest Conference.

“I have always run the team with a profound sense of integrity,” said Hansen Laher, “and have done so with tremendous success, as noted by our 70 percent winning percentage over the last two seasons.

Hansen Laher said she will “look forward to new opportunities and challenges.”

McQuilken said the search for Hansen Laher’s successor has begun.