Coach Bill Strickland is taking the helm of the Bull Shark Aquatics in their first season as a team. He is the former head coach of the Pisces Swim Club where he was head coach for 14 years. After a successful first few seasons with the team, Coach Bill saw great accomplishments with the Pisces under his direction in the state of Connecticut Swimming. After sending swimmers to top finishers at Regionals, Age Groups, Zones and Yankee League Championships, Coach Bill and his coaching staff helped lead the Pisces to their first Yankee League Championship in the 2017-2018 season.
Originally from Mystic, CT, he competed in high school for four years of swimming with his main focus being in distance swimming and butterfly. Coach Bill is in his 21st year coaching competitive USA swimming. Starting in 2006 he was an assistant 12 and under coach with CAC aquatics club in West Hartford, CT. In 2007 he then moved to be the head 12 and Under coach at Charter Oak Aquatics.
After a few successful years with OAK, he became the Asst. Head Coach in 2010 at the Fairfield YMCA where he helped build a very competitive program at the Fairfield YMCA. In his final season with Fairfield, he helped develop a highly competitive program at the YMCA seeing a YMCA National Qualifier and numerous YMCA New England swimmers in over 45 individual events from the Fairfield YMCA.
In 2011 Coach Bill became the Asst. Head Coach of the Trumbull High Boys swim team, and the following year in 2012 he became the Head Coach of the Trumbull High Boys and Girls Swim teams. Since taking over he has brought multiple swimmers to Conference Finals, State Finals, Opens and All - State Levels, while also helping lead the swimmers to breaking multiple school records. In 2018 he was selected as FCIAC Coach of the Year for Girls Swimming, 2020 CIAC State of Connecticut Coach of the Year for Girls High School, and the Coach of Excellence award in 2021.
Coach Bill moved up to accept the Assistant Coach position at the University of Bridgeport in 2025 where he will also be in his first season there as an assistant coach.
Also being nominated as Connecticut Swimming Head Age Group Coach in 2016,2017,2018, 2019, 2020 and Head Senior Coach of the Year for Connecticut swimming in 2016 & 2018. Coach Bill was also selected to the 2016-2017 Connecticut Zones Team coaching staff as the lead 13&Over Coach.
Coach Bill hopes to continue his coaching success here at Bull Shark Aquatics where he’s a firm believer in getting the best results out the swimmers while working hard and keeping the sport fun and creating good sportsmanship. When he is not on deck you can usually find Coach Bill fishing, kayaking or boating on Long Island Sound.
