CLAYMONT — Jaime Espinal, a silver medalist in wrestling in the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, has been named the new wrestling coach at Archmere Academy, the school announced Oct. 21.
Espinal comes to Archmere from State College, Pa., where he trained and mentored many aspiring wrestlers in the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. According to the school, Espinal’s “record of excellence” on and off the mat, with an emphasis of building quality young men, closely parallels Archmere’s mission of preparing students for “every good work.”
“Jaime brings a championship pedigree to our wrestling program,” Archmere athletic director Nick Sanna said in a statement. “He has a wonderful story. He has competed and been successful on the world’s biggest stage. He will bring all those values and intangibles that have made him successful to our school and our athletic program.”
In addition to wrestling, Espinal will take a coaching position at United Wrestling Club.
“I want to share all the great gifts God has given and make an impact on others,” Espinal said in a statement.
His talent is not limited to wrestling. He is an avid dancer and spent several years performing in groups and as a backup dancer for various hip hop artists. He also was the flag bearer for Puerto Rico in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Before becoming an Olympian, he developed a youth program in his native Puerto Rico.
Espinal will be at Archmere on Oct. 26 to welcome students and their families during the school’s open house at 1 p.m.
