Vikings athletics names Shannon Workinger head coach of women's wrestling

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College announced the hiring of Shannon Workinger as the next Head Coach of the Vikings Women's Wrestling program. 

As a lifelong resident of Quincy, Wash., Shannon grew up in this agricultural town and Quincy is where her love of Wrestling began. She was one of a very small handful of females who participated in the youth programs there and later went on to be Quincy's first female state champion. 

“We are excited to welcome Shannon to Big Bend and our athletics family,” Vikings Athletic Director Benjamin Griffin said. “Her passion for women's wrestling, proven success as both an athlete and coach, and deep commitment to growing the sport make her an outstanding fit for our program. Shannon understands the positive impact wrestling can have on young women, and we are excited about her vision for continuing to build and expand women's wrestling at Big Bend while providing a first-class experience for our student-athletes.” 

Workinger said she could not be more excited to continue her coaching career. She is currently on staff for the Washington girls high school national team and travels with them to Fargo, N.D., in July.  

Workinger has coached many other camps and clinics, and is known for her work ethic, consistent technique, and her ability to build partnerships and gain trust with athletes. She hopes to build on the hard work of Coach, Desiree Zavala and other past coaches to build something great with Big Bend women's wrestling.  

She hopes to create a program with hard-working young women who learn to believe in themselves, become incredible teammates, serve their communities, and get the most out of life. 

Workinger wrestled for Menlo college out of high school and was a two-time collegiate all-American with their program her freshman and sophomore year, helping the team to win a national championship. She won a gold medal for team USA at the U20 Pan Am games in Peru. Because of this she is a regular attender of camps at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where she learns from and wrestles with the best.  

Her junior year of college she transferred to Evergreen State College, the only four-year school in Washington that offers Wrestling. She redshirted her junior year due to injury, and her senior year she became the first national finalist for their program.  

She was honored there as an academic all-American, a captain, and received the lifetime achievement award. Workinger learned a great deal competing with Coach Zhang in Olympia and is excited to maintain that connection across the state of Washington and work to further opportunities for Washington Women's Wrestling.  

The Columbia Basin is Workinger's home, and where Wrestling all began for her, and she expressed that she cannot wait to invest in this area's next generation of women wrestlers.