SPOKANE, Wash. – It has been a two-year wait, but the Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame is ready to induct its 31st class on October 16, 2021. A soccer coach who led the Pirate men to numerous wins over bigger schools, a woman who starred in basketball and golf, and the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Player of the Year, comprise the newest Whitworth Heritage Gallery class.
Einar Thorarinsson, Emily (Guthrie) Beane and Michael Taylor were initially selected for induction in 2020, but the Coronavirus caused the cancellation of the ceremony last fall, along with several other Whitworth events, so the three finally get their induction now. The ceremony takes place on Saturday October 16th in the Hixon Union Building at 9:00 am.
Einar Thorarinnson served as the men's soccer coach at Whitworth from 1986 through 1994 before accepting the same role at Gonzaga University. He coached the Pirates to a record of 119-56-13, including a mark of 37-6-2 against Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges opponents. Whitworth won four NCIC championships during his tenure and he was selected as the NCIC Coach of the Year four times. In addition, he coached Whitworth to several victories over higher division programs, including wins over the University of Washington and the University of Portland when both were ranked among the top-25 in NCAA Division I polls.
Emily (Guthrie) Beane is the best women's golfer at Whitworth over the first 20 years of the program, and one of the best three-point shooters in the history of Pirate women's basketball. She was a two-time Northwest Conference women's golf medalist (2010 and 2012) and the runner up once (2013). She qualified to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships three times and posted three top-20 finishes, the only Pirate player (man or woman) to do so. In basketball, she was a two-time second team All-NWC honoree who scored 807 career points and established Whitworth career records for three-pointers made and attempted.
Michael Taylor had one record-setting year at Whitworth after transferring from the University of Montana. In 2010-11 he led the team in scoring average (20.3 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg) and topped the Northwest Conference in both free throw percentage (88.4%) and three-point percentage (52.8). Over the course of five post-season games (NWC and NCAA tournaments), Taylor averaged 25.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and made 51% of his shots from the field and 58% from three-point range. At the Reese's® Division III College All-Star game in Salem, Va., Taylor scored 18 points to help the West to a 92-81 win over the East, earning game MVP honors. He was named the NCAA Division III Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The NWC Player of the Year, Taylor was also a first team State Farm® Coaches Division III and first team D3hoops.com All-America selection.
The class of 2021 will join a group of 103 individuals and eight teams already enshrined in the Heritage Gallery. The current class, along with all previously-inducted Heritage Gallery members attending the event, will be recognized at halftime of the Whitworth – PLU football game that afternoon.
The Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame was created in 1989 by the (then-named) Whitworth Crimson Club and inducted its first class in the fall of 1990.
