Haley Ibaugh is leaving one family to focus on another.
For the past three seasons the head coach of the Wilmington High School girls soccer program, Ibaugh has decided to step down to focus on her growing family. Her and husband Reece are expecting their first child.
“My husband and I have had an incredible experience coaching the girls soccer program at Wilmington and we will miss it greatly,” Ibaugh said. “But when we found out that we will get to become parents at the end of 2021, we decided that we wanted to shift our focus on our growing family. It was an extremely tough decision to step away but ultimately it was the right decision for us. We hope to have the opportunity to coach again in the future but for now we will be cheering on the WHS girls soccer team from the stands.”
Under Ibaugh’s guidance, WHS posted back-to-back one-win seasons. Wilmington then made the leap to five wins this fall, the most in a season since 2017.
“I am extremely proud of the coaching job that Haley did with our girls soccer program,” said WHS athletic director Troy Diels. “She did a wonderful job improving the culture of the program which translated into more wins this past season. Our girls always played hard and with a purpose each time they took the field. We are excited for Haley and Reece as they are expecting a baby very soon.”
Both Haley and Reece played soccer collegiately and “wanted to share our experiences and knowledge with the girls at the high school. We wanted to develop a group that could accomplish big things as a team, not just as individuals.”
The Ibaughs were determined to put their coaching stamp on the program on the field as well as off.
“While we taught individual and team skills through soccer, we also got to teach character development and leadership skills,” she said. “We got to challenge our players to grow as leaders, to inspire those around them, to be dedicated to their goals, and to work hard every day to be the best version of themselves. It was exciting to watch what these girls are capable of, both on and off the soccer field and over the years, we got to see our players mature and grow into incredible people.”
Ibaugh said working with WHS athletic director Troy Diels, athletic secretary Stephanie Reveal and athletic trainer Kelly Veidt has been enjoyable. She wished the future coach a great experience and thanked past players for their dedication.
“We have learned so much from all of you and truly value the experiences we got to have with you,” she said.
