Ruppe Adds Mark Brannen to Staff
8/9/2024 11:23:00 AM | General
Macon, Ga. - The Mercer cross country head coach, Cameron Ruppe, announced the hiring of Mercer alum, Mark Brannen, as a new graduate assistant for the Bears. Â
Brannen ran cross country at Mercer from 2014-2018 where he served as team captain for three out of his four years as a Bear. During Brannen's time at Mercer, he was named to the 2015-16 Southern Conference All-Academic Team, received the Mercer University Presidential Scholarship and the Mercer University Sidney Lanier Creative Writing Scholarship.Â
In 2020, Brannen returned to his old high school, where he won a state championship in 2013, to become a teacher and the head cross country coach. Brannen also served as an assistant coach for track, specifically distance. Throughout his four years coaching at Hillcrest High School, he led his players to break records in the 4x800, 800, 1600, 3200 and 5k. Brannen taught multiple courses ranging from Algebra I to Geometry.Â
Brannen received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Mercer back in 2018 and is now enrolled in the Masters of Leadership program. Â
The new graduate assistant has a lot to look forward to this fall, like returning to Mercer to work with a team he once played for and marrying his fiancé, Olivia, in October.Â
"Mark is going to be a huge asset in general, but I am most excited for his impact on the program as an alumni." Coach Ruppe said. "From helping the current runners, to building connections with other alumni, Mark will be an awesome addition to the staff."
