Ledyard — Ledyard High School named Allyn Quibble head wrestling coach and Tim Strong boys' outdoor track coach on Tuesday, as announced by athletic director and assistant principal Jim Buonocore.

Quibble served as an assistant wrestling coach under Steve Bilheimer, who recently retired from coaching after his second stint with the Colonels, which included five state championships. Quibble is a former two-time State Open champion for Ledyard and helped lead his teams to two state championships before graduating in 2001.

“Allyn has a great foundation and understanding of our athletic program and how we operate," Buonocore said in a press release. "He did a fabulous job as the assistant coach under Steve and this will be a seamless transition for our student-athletes.

"He is extremely knowledgeable about the sport of wrestling and understands the importance of student-athlete development, in not only the fundamentals and techniques of the sport, but also dedication, work ethic and perseverance. As a former athlete himself, he understands the importance of building relationships with the student-athletes and he has a burning desire to continue to build upon the tradition of excellence within Ledyard wrestling.” 

Strong, who also serves as head coach of the Ledyard boys' cross country team, replaces Jose Sanabria, who led the track team to the ECC Division II title this spring.

“Tim did a phenomenal job with our boys' cross country team last fall. He is energetic and passionate about his craft. He has increased our roster size and has students excited about the sport. I am certain he will do the same with outdoor track and at the same time build continuity between the two programs which will go a long way in sustaining success.”

Juli Bassett will serve as an assistant coach for the indoor track team and girls' outdoor track team. Bassett ran cross country at Fairfield University and has coached track and field at St. Bernard since 2016. Chris Helminski will serve as an assistant coach for the indoor track team and boys' outdoor track team. Helminski was a cross country and track athlete at the University of Hartford and most recently assisted the track program at Bacon Academy.