Wrestlers · Career complete
Candace Workman
First female in a UHSAA state wrestling final, 2008; 2x University National champion; 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualifier
Vernal, UT · Uintah High School HS · Northern Michigan University
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 28, 2026
Candace Workman is from Vernal, Utah. She started wrestling at age 7 and wrestled for Uintah High School against boys. Uintah School District lists her third at region and sixth at state as a sophomore. A 2021 Utah USA Wrestling history instead names her 2008 runner-up finish as the first state placing by a Utah girl.
At the 2008 3A state championships in Orem she won her semifinal 5-4 at 103 pounds. That made her the first female to reach the UHSAA state wrestling finals. It came more than a decade before Utah sanctioned girls' wrestling. She placed second. She won region titles as a junior and a senior and graduated from Uintah in 2009.
She received the BJ Stupak Olympic Scholarship and attended Northern Michigan University, training at the Olympic Education Center in Michigan. She then became a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. In April 2011 she won the University Nationals title at 48 kg, about 106 pounds, in Akron, Ohio. She wrestled in the 48 kg Challenge tournament at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.
In March 2013 she won a second University Nationals title, at 51 kg in Oklahoma City. She pinned Savanna Nobile of Lindenwood in the final. She was a member of the 2013 University World Team. In April she placed fourth at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas after Erin Golston of the New York AC beat her in the match for third. In June she placed fourth at the World Team Trials.
Wrestling for the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, she placed seventh at Senior Nationals in Las Vegas in December 2015. That qualified her for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. There she beat Regina Doi of Titan Mercury 5-0 at 48 kg. Haley Augello of the New York AC and Nicole Tyson of the Terrapin Wrestling Club beat her.
Now Candace Workman Triggas, she is in the Brunson Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame, which inducted her in 2022 as its first female wrestler. She coached USA Wrestling's Cadet women's Pan American teams to team titles in 2019 and 2023, and in 2026 the Uintah High Athletics Hall of Fame Committee selected her for induction.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | High school | UHSAA state championships | Uintah School District lists her third at region and sixth at state as a sophomore. A 2021 Utah USA Wrestling history names her 2008 runner-up finish as the first state placing by a Utah girl. | ||
| 2007-08 | High school | UHSAA 3A state championships, Orem | 103 lb | 2nd | Utah USA Wrestling lists her second. The Deseret News reports her 5-4 semifinal win at the 3A championships in Orem, which made her the first female to reach the state finals, and UtahWrestling.org lists her at 103 pounds. |
| 2011 | Age group | University Nationals, Akron, Ohio | 48 kg | 1st | Won the final over C.C. Weber of Goodrich. |
| 2012 | Senior | Dave Schultz Memorial International | 48 kg | 1-2. Pinned Allene Somera of the USOEC in 1:18. Lost to Jade Papke of Canada and Silvia Felice of Italy. | |
| 2012 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Trials | 48 kg | 1-2. In the Challenge tournament she beat Nicole Woody of the Gator Wrestling Club 4-0, 6-0 and lost to Joey Miller and Erin Golston. | |
| 2013 | Age group | University Nationals, Oklahoma City | 51 kg | 1st | Pinned Savanna Nobile of Lindenwood in 1:37 in the final. |
| 2013 | Senior | U.S. Open, Las Vegas | 48 kg | 4th | 2-2. Beat Emily Webster of OKCU Gator and Bernara Moore. Lost to Alyssa Lampe of the Sunkist Kids in the semifinal and to Erin Golston 3-1, 3-1 for third. |
| 2013 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials | 48 kg | 4th | 2-2. In the Challenge tournament she beat Shannon Constantine of King College and Kristi Garr of OKCU/Gator. Erin Golston beat her 8-6 in the semifinal and Emily Tew won the match for third. |
| 2015 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials | 48 kg | 1-2. Beat Regina Doi of Titan Mercury 6-0. Lost to Alyssa Lampe and Marina Doi. | |
| 2015 | Senior | Senior Nationals and Olympic Trials Qualifier, Las Vegas | 48 kg | 7th | 3-2. Pinned Harmonie Roberts of the Running Eagles in the match for seventh, which qualified her for the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. |
| 2016 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials | 48 kg | 1-2. Beat Regina Doi 5-0 in the Challenge tournament. Lost to Haley Augello by 11-0 technical fall and to Nicole Tyson in the second consolation round. The Deseret News, Uintah School District and Utah USA Wrestling list her fourth, while USA Wrestling's bracket has Tyson losing the match for third to Clarissa Chun. |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it to the operator, Joe Spisak, at joe@spisak.co and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://www.deseret.com/2008/2/16/20071002/uintah-wrestler-workman-is-first-female-to-reach-state-finals/ · Deseret News, February 16, 2008. Uintah's Candace Workman won her semifinal 5-4 at the 3A state wrestling championships in Orem and became the first female to reach the state finals.
- https://www.utahwrestling.org/records.html · UtahWrestling.org records. Its list of Utah firsts names Candace Workman of Uintah High School, 103 pounds, as the first female wrestler to make the high school state finals, in 2008.
- https://www.wrestleutah.com/news_article/show/1146215 · Utah USA Wrestling, February 13, 2021, Brian Preece. Pioneers in Utah girls' wrestling: it calls Candace Workman the first Utah girl to place at the state wrestling tournament, placing second for Uintah High School in 2008. It says she competed on numerous national teams and coached for USA Wrestling at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs.
- https://www.wrestleutah.com/news_article/show/938635-candace-workman-to-be-new-girls-national-team-coach-for-2018-2019-year · Utah USA Wrestling, August 1, 2018. Candace Workman of Uintah was named the Utah Women's National Team coach for 2018-19. It calls her a two-time University National champion and the first girl in Utah to reach the state finals, in 2008.
- https://www.basinnow.com/uintah-high-alum-to-be-inducted-into-brunson-utah-wrestling-hall-of-fame/ · Basin Now, October 7, 2022, quoting Uintah School District. The district lists her third at region and sixth at state as a sophomore and region champion as a junior and senior. It says she reached the UHSAA state finals in 2008, won University National titles in 2011 and 2013 and was on the 2013 University World Team.
- https://www.deseret.com/high-school-sports/2022/10/12/23401406/candace-workman-inducted-into-brunson-utah-wrestling-hall-of-fame/ · Deseret News, October 12, 2022, Amy Donaldson. The Vernal native became the first female wrestler inducted into the Brunson Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame. She graduated from Uintah High in 2009, attended Northern Michigan University and trained at the Olympic Education Center in Michigan, then at the Olympic Training Center.
- https://www.basinnow.com/candace-workman-triggas-to-be-inducted-into-uhs-athletics-hall-of-fame/ · Basin Now, August 28, 2026. The Uintah High Athletics Hall of Fame Committee selected Candace Workman Triggas for induction on September 11, 2026. It lists her BJ Stupak Olympic Scholarship and her USA Wrestling Cadet women's Pan American team coaching in 2019 and 2023.
- http://web.archive.org/web/20120819021446/http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=23517 · USA Wrestling, April 23, 2011, on the Internet Archive. University Nationals women's freestyle finals in Akron, Ohio: Candace Workman of the OTC won the 48 kg title over C.C. Weber of Goodrich.
- https://www.ocusports.com/news/2013/3/30/WWREST_0401130847.aspx · Oklahoma City University Athletics, March 30, 2013. At Women's University Nationals in Oklahoma City, Candace Workman of the OTC pinned Savanna Nobile of Lindenwood in the 51 kg final.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2013/june/06/u-s--world-team-trials-preview-26552 · USA Wrestling, June 6, 2013, World Team Trials preview at 48 kg. Olympic Training Center team member Candace Workman won a University National title at 51 kg that year and placed fourth at the U.S. Open.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2016/march/22/olympic-trials-preview-for-48-kg-women · USA Wrestling, March 22, 2016, Olympic Team Trials preview at 48 kg. Candace Workman of the Titan Mercury WC, who trains at the Olympic Training Center, qualified by placing seventh at the Olympic Trials qualifier in Las Vegas.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/1119?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2012 Dave Schultz Memorial International, dated February 4, 2012. Her three bouts at 48 kg.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/525?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, dated April 22, 2012. Her three bouts in the 48 kg Challenge tournament.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/600?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2013 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, dated April 20, 2013. She placed fourth at 48 kg.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/643?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2013 U.S. World Team Trials, dated June 22, 2013. Her four bouts in the 48 kg Challenge tournament.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/1106?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2015 U.S. World Team Trials, dated June 14, 2015. Her three bouts at 48 kg for the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/1125?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2015 Senior Nationals and Trials Qualifier, dated December 19, 2015. She won the 48 kg match for seventh.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/1135?query=Workman · USA Wrestling results, 2016 Olympic Team Trials, dated April 10, 2016. Her three bouts in the 48 kg Challenge tournament.
- https://usawrestlingevents.com/results/1135?query=48+KG · USA Wrestling results, 2016 Olympic Team Trials, the full 48 kg bracket. Nicole Tyson of the Terrapin Wrestling Club reached the match for third, which Clarissa Chun of Sunkist won by 10-0 technical fall.
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