| Harleigh’s wrestling journey began with the Fallon Outlaws in the fall of 2021, just days before turning 4 years old. The Outlaws have been coached by her great uncle Wade Workman, a family legend in the world of youth wrestling and in the Fallon community. Harleigh is also surrounded by a supportive network of family coaches: her grandfather Ed Workman and everyday by her father Brett Workman. She was one of the youngest on the team at the time including her cousin Hudson Brandt who is only 5 days younger. Hudson’s father, Evan Brandt, is Wade’s nephew-in-law and Outlaws co-head coach with Wade. |
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| Harleigh had a tough 1st year learning to find her inner strength and aggressiveness; and at 33lbs, she didn’t have a lot of close weight competition so at times was forced to wrestle up in weight she often wrestled opponents significantly heavier, facing girls and boys alike, anywhere from 33 to 45 pounds. This early adversity, however, forged an unwavering determination, despite the challenges, she accomplished so much. Her most significant win that year was placing 1st at the SWA/ENWA Folkstyle Championships at the end of the year. Her most successful endeavor was never giving up and constantly pushing to be the best. At the early age of 4, she wanted to be a great wrestler, just like her uncle Trae Workman. At 4, Harleigh was too young to truly understand what big shoes she was stepping into; just how big wrestling meant/means in the Workman family. |
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| Year 2 brought more accolades, she started off the year with a first-place sweep at the SAWA Santa Smackdown in California, competing in both the 6u and 8u divisions at just five years old, then achieving second place at the Sierra Nevada Classic while double bracketing in both boys’ and girls’ divisions. She continued to grow her 2nd year, at the SWA Greenwave Rural Rumble where she placed 1st in 6u 37-39lb, 2nd in Kinder & Below 36-39lb and winning a championship ring for most consecutive points earned during the 2-day tournament The culmination of her second year was a coveted belt at the 2023 Reno Rumble, a victory against boys from California, Nevada, and Idaho in the boys 6u 37lb division. She also first in Folkstyle, second in Greco, and third in Freestyle at the Nevada State Championships in Las Vegas. |
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| Summer of 2023 brought a new challenge: the RMN Supreme Gladiator event in Las Vegas. While she didn’t place in the boys’ 6u division, she impressively won the girls’ 8u division (moving up a weight class due to the absence of a 6u girls’ division), returning home with a medal and a gladiator helmet, trophies that symbolized both her grit and adaptation. |
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| In the fall of 2023 at 6 yrs old, Harleigh moved up from 6u to 8u where she qualified for the Oregon Classic in Redmond, OR. At that time the girls’ division had limited entries, so she wanted to push herself and wrestle with the boys. Again, the boys 8u 43lb division provided fierce competition and valuable lessons. She managed to hold on and finish 2-2 before being eliminated. But again, it was another great tournament and experience to learn and absorb from. She finished out 2023 with two 2nds at the Sierra Nevada Classic in both the boys 8u 43-44lb and girls elementary 43-52lb bracket and continued into 2024 placing 1st and 2nd (again double bracketing) at local northern Nevada tournaments in both boys/coed and girls’ divisions. Unfortunately, she was unable to compete in the SWA Regional championships that year due to illness. With the NV State Tournament, the following weekend she wanted so badly to wrestle, but she was only able to muster up enough strength/energy to wrestle the first day of the 2-day tournament. She didn’t place in the boys folkstyle but did place 2nd in Girls 8u 42-48lbs folkstyle division |
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| After state and a lot of rest she bounced right back and went to the SAWA Spring Championships in CA where she finished 1st in Bantam Greco and 2nd in Bantam Folkstyle. She entered the 2024 Reno Worlds for the first time and faced some of the toughest girls in the country. This was by far the toughest girl’s competition she had ever witnessed. She was humbled by the tenacity and drive of her more dominant competitors and knew she would have to work even harder to compete at that level next year. |
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| This year Harleigh really wanted to test her limits and compete in as many tournaments as possible. At the Sierra Nevada Classic she placed 2nd in the Boys/Coed 8u 46-48lb bracket and 1st in the Girls Elementary 46-49lbs bracket. She traveled to multiple states to gain even more experience. She consistently placed high even against older and stronger opponents. In Oregon, she demonstrated her improvements at the Oregon Classic in Redmond, OR where she finished 4th in the Girls 46lb and at the RMN Most Wanted Tournament in Medford, OR she finished 2nd in the girls 8u 46lb, she also traveled to Utah where she placed 2nd in Girls Elementary 45lb division at the Beehive Brawl. |
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| Harleigh continued her year with double and sometimes triple bracketing in tournaments where she finished with two 4ths at the Reno Rumble. At the SWA Regionals she finished with four 1sts a 2nd and 4th (including Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco) and then coming home with five 1st place finishes from the NV State Tournament in Las Vegas for 8u Coed and 8u/10u Girls. The highlight was undoubtedly her triumph at the Reno Worlds, the largest wrestling tournament in the world drawing 3,000 of the top athletes into Northern Nevada each year from all 50 states and two countries. This year she was not only determined to place, but to win! She had her eye was set on bringing home an Eagle. |
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| Harleigh was seeded as the 6 seed taking on her first opponent from CA, winning by pin in 0:54, and then finishing the night with her second opponent from Idaho where she won by Major Decision 13-0. Advancing to the Semi-Final match Friday, she won by pinning her opponent from Colorado in 1:17 clinching her spot in the Championship match where she would rematch her Hawaii rival that beat her earlier that year at the Beehive Brawl. Her Hawaii contender was ranked number 2 in the US and had been selected for the 6u Wrestling Allstars. Harleigh dug deep on Championship Saturday and won by Major Decision 8-0, bringing home that eagle! This victory proved just how fierce this small-town girl is. Her family, coaches, and teammates couldn’t be more proud of her. At the Fallon Outlaws end of season banquet she was awarded the Golden Award for Outstanding Wrestler. Harleigh currently has a 2024-2025 season record of 95-29 with 72 pins and techs and out of the Top 250 NV 8u Coed is ranked 4th with most pins and is #1 in NV in the Girls 8u for most pins. (https://www.usawmembership.com/usaw_results/pin_ratings) |
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| Harleigh isn’t just a wrestler. She is currently in her 4th year of Fallon Youth Baseball and said she wants to try her hand at other sports as she gets older. Harleigh also loves camping, fishing, hunting, crafting, baking, cooking, and spending time with her family. Harleigh wants to continue to make her family proud and follow in the footsteps of her Workman Family predecessors. She isn’t done yet; she plans to continue her journey with upcoming tournaments in Utah and Idaho this summer. |
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