Men’s wrestling recruits will improve depth, strength throughout Flames’ lineup
7/18/2023 3:44:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Jahleel Armstrong, a VHSL Group 6A 126-pound state champion at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, Va.; Giovanni DeGeorge, a 141-pound competitor for two-time-defending New Jersey Group 3 state champion Delsea Regional High School; and Timothy Goddard, a 182-pound state champion from Massachusetts, will bring tremendous experience to Liberty Mountain.
Liberty University men's wrestling team's Fall 2023 recruiting class includes a trio of student-athletes who should help the Flames contend for their fifth NCWA National Duals and Grand National championships in six seasons next spring.
the wrestling team's facility in the Liberty Club Sports Complex.
Jahleel Armstrong, a Virginia High School League Group 6A 126-pound state champion at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, Va.; Giovanni DeGeorge, a 141-pound competitor for two-time-defending New Jersey Group 3 state champion Delsea Regional High School; and Timothy Goddard, a Massachusetts 182-pound state champion and New England runner-up from Algonquin Regional High School will bring tremendous experience to Liberty Mountain as they compete for the Flames over the next four seasons.
Liberty is coming off runner-up showings to Bellarmine University at both the NCWA National Duals in Louisville, Ky., in January, and the NCWA Grand Nationals in Puerto Rico in March, snapping their streak of five consecutive titles in both tournaments.
The Flames graduated a number of standouts, including four-time NCWA Grand National champion Jeff Allen at 235 pounds and two-time champions Josiah Murphy at 197 pounds and Rick Weaver at heavyweight. But they have plenty of reinforcements, especially in the lightweight classes, where they graduated Dante Minnino, among others.
Armstrong, a second-year team captain at Grassfield, will remain a teammate of Jakob Brown, another incoming recruit who competed for the Grizzlies at the past four state championships, at 138 pounds this past season. Grassfield's head coach, Patrick Shuler, who wrestled at NCAA Division I Wyoming, is the son of Don Shuler, a former U.S. Olympic alternate who headed up Liberty's program from 1987-94.
"Patrick has developed one the strongest programs in the state," Flames Head Coach Jesse Castro said, noting that Armstrong had several NCAA Division II teams recruiting him. "Honestly, he's an incredible athlete and he's got a great workout ethic that is a byproduct of his college-level training (under Shuler). He's a great kid and a very talented young man (and) we are excited to have him as he rounds out a very deep lightweight recruiting class."
Armstrong is coming off a dominant senior season, earning team Most Outstanding Wrestler honors after posting a 52-4 record. He was a South Region champion his junior and senior seasons, placing third in the state tournament at 120 pounds as a junior, when he was named Grassfield's Most Improved Wrestler.
Outside of high school, he also twice placed at the Freestyle State Championships and was selected as a member of the Virginia National Team. In 2022, he finished third at the Holy Angels Invitational, which attracted more than 100 teams from six states.
He visited Liberty for the first time this past weekend, when he made his commitment official.
"It seems like a great atmosphere with a lot of nice people," Armstrong said.
Armstrong plans to pursue a B.S. in Business Administration and grow in his spiritual walk while contending for mat time at 133 pounds. He credits his mom and his middle school and high school coaches for his strong faith through various trials he faced as a teenager.
"My mom was always giving me Bible verses to look into (and) my coaches sat down with me and made sure I was on the right path," he said. "This year, I have doubled-down on myself in the gym, to make sure I was mentally ready for college."
Armstrong, who describes his wrestling style as "fast-paced, always attacking," chose wrestling over football because he has more control over the outcome of matches.
"It's more of an individual sport," he said. "I like the competitiveness of it, and that it teaches you to stay on track. You can't blame anybody else; it's more on me, and what I need to work on. If you are down, you have to pick yourself up and perform well."
Goddard, who finished 38-5 as a senior and 100-25 over his high school career at Algonquin, spurned offers from a number of NCAA Division II programs. He chose Liberty after taking classes through Liberty University Online Academy for the last half of his high school career.
Goddard helped his club team place in the top 16 at the Prep National Duals and earned All-American status individually at a National High School Coaches Association national tournament in Virginia Beach.
"My brother wrestled before me and my parents signed me up and I hated it and wanted to quit at first," Goddard said. "That was just immaturity. Wrestling is a tough sport to do as a kid; it is emotionally stressful. But I couldn't quit. I had to stick with it, and in eighth grade, I started liking it."
He qualified for the Youth New England Championships and has been on a quest to compete in the collegiate ranks ever since, wrestling year-round.
"It's going to be a challenge, but that is part of why I wrestle — for the challenge," Goddard said.
(N.J.), the two-time-defending Group 3 state champions.
DeGeorge won his district tournament title and finished fifth in Region 8, barely missing qualifying for the Group 3 state meet in New Jersey, one of the toughest states for high school wrestling.
Since graduation, he has spent extra time in the gym — working out to improve his fitness, build muscle, and increase his strength as he prepares to make the transition to collegiate wrestling — as well as reading about the myriad academic programs he can pursue at Liberty.
He plans to study business administration: marketing and is also interested in participating on LU Send trips and pursuing a career in homeland security.
"I really wanted to find a school that would prepare and train me for my future and help me become closer in my relationship with Christ, and to be around individuals with the same mindset," DeGeorge said. "Coach Castro is definitely someone who can mentor me, and the team is one that can help me excel to the level I would like to — on the mat and all around, being able to do more and help more than just myself."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Players Mentioned
