Kenwood Track Coach Joins CCBC Essex as an Assistant

track and field coach Mark Planamente has worked diligently over the last few years to help get his athletes opportunities to compete at the college level.

That effort will take on a whole new dimension next year as joins the CCBC Essex women’s indoor track team as an assistant coach. Planamente has already steered several Kenwood athletes to CCBC Essex, including last year and this year.

Planamente said this is a great opportunity to challenge himself at the college level, where he will join veteran CCBC Essex coach Larry Williams. Williams, who also coaches the Knights women’s cross country team,

“One of my goals was to always challenge myself and I have always thought that I would want to coach in college at some point in my career,” Planamente said. “I never thought it would be when I am still in my 20s.  I am very excited for this chance to work with athletes in a different environment.”

Planamente said despite his new role, he plans on continuing to teach at Kenwood while also coaching the cross country and outdoor track teams at the Essex school. He added that he believes CCBC Essex has the ability to develop into a strong program relatively quickly; something he can assist through recruiting locally thanks to his strong relationships with area coaches.

“We already have a huge team here at Kenwood and next year at CCBC having a few athletes that were from Kenwood would be influential in making the program stronger in the future,” Planamente said.

CCBC Essex athletics director Marc Ershler said he is excited about bringing Planamente on board and is confident he will help the program continue to grow.

“Mark brings a wealth of experience along with certifications we didn’t have on staff before,” Ershler said. “We are still growing the program and Mark will help us become competitive even faster.”