OLYMPIA, Wash. – It was an exciting and successful season for The Evergreen State College women's wrestling team in 2025-26. The Geoducks sent four wrestlers to the NAIA Championships with Shannon Workinger (Sr.) and Haley Le (So.) earning All-American honors. Evergreen placed fourth at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships as Workinger won a conference championship and Le finished in third place.

At the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Workinger (Sr.) claimed second place in the 160-pound weight class and Haley Le (So.) was fifth in the 138-pound weight class. Workinger became the first Evergreen women's wrestler to reach a national championship match. Workinger and Le were chosen as All-Americans.

Nizhoni Tallman (Sr.) at 110 pounds and Ellabelle Taylor (Jr.) at 124 pounds also competed at the NAIA Championships this season. Tallman and Taylor both qualified for their third trip to the national tournament.

Head Coach Fan Zhang completed his third season leading the Geoducks. Assistant coaches in 2025-26 were John Lane, George Wright, and Dillon Le.

The Geoducks were ranked as high as #13 in the NAIA during the season and were ranked #20 in the final poll released prior to the postseason. Evergreen placed 15th in the team standings at the NAIA Championships. The Geoducks scored 33.5 points.

Workinger finished as an All-American for the third time in her career. She also earned All-American recognition while wrestling for Menlo College (Calif.) in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before transferring to Evergreen and redshirting in 2024-25. Workinger made history this year as the first Washington resident in about 30 years to become a national finalist in women's wrestling while competing for a college from her home state.

For the season, Workinger achieved a 14-1 overall record. Le set the Evergreen record for victories in a season by going 25-8 for the Geoducks. Taylor finished 17-8 and Tallman was 11-7.

Evergreen picked up a key dual match win on Dec. 6, 2025, when the Geoducks defeated conference rival Southern Oregon University 26-19 at the Costantino Recreation Center. Prior to the match, Evergreen was ranked #15 in the NAIA and Southern Oregon was ranked #11 in the NAIA. It was the Geoducks' first dual win over a nationally ranked opponent since women's wrestling was added at Evergreen prior to the 2023-24 season.

Led by Workinger, who took first place in the 160-pound weight class, the Geoducks placed fourth in the team standings at the 2026 CCC Championships with 89.5 points. Workinger received a bye in the first round, won two matches with pins, and defeated Aspen Dodge from University of Providence 9-0 in the championship match. Le placed third in the CCC in the 138-pound weight class. Workinger and Le were named All-CCC.

Four Geoducks earned fourth place in their respective weight classes at the CCC Championships. Tallman was fourth at 110 pounds, Zeta Lee (So.) claimed fourth place at 117 pounds, Taylor grabbed fourth place at 124 pounds, and Ariana Cavero-Santiago (So.) was fourth at 180 pounds.

Wrestlers also won four individual championships for the Geoducks at the Evergreen Open on Jan. 18. The individual titles were earned by Tallman in the 110-pound weight class, Taylor in the 124-pound weight class, Le in the 138-pound weight class, and Viktoriya Dovhoruka (Jr.) in the 180-pound weight class. Workinger placed second in the 160-pound weight class after sustaining an injury.

During the season Evergreen received a total of three CCC Wrestler of the Week awards. Flor Parker Borrero (Sr.) received the award on Dec. 1. Le earned the honor twice, on Jan. 19 and Feb. 9. Evergreen was chosen as the CCC Team of the Week for matches between Nov. 24 and Nov. 30.

Nine Geoducks received Academic All-Conference recognition. They were Grace Cooper (So.), Faye Dachs (So.), Emma Desotell (So.), Dovhoruka, Erica Grant (Jr.), Sarrell Lee (Jr.), Parker Borrero, Tallman, and Workinger. Geoducks who were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes were Cooper, Parker Borrero, and Workinger.

Photo Below:   Evergreen wrestlers and coaches at the 2026 NAIA Championships (L to R): Haley Le, Assistant Coach Dillon Le, Assistant Coach John Lane, Shannon Workinger, Head Coach Fan Zhang, Nizhoni Tallman, Ellabelle Taylor. Photo by Fan Zhang.