WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Palm Beach Atlantic Director of Athletics Courtney Lovely Evans has announced the hiring of Wes Penberthy as the new head coach of the PBA men's and women's cross country and track programs.
 
"I am proud to announce Wes Penberthy as the next leader of the Sailfish cross country and track programs," Lovely Evans said. "Wes is a mission-fit coach who is connected to Florida and the SSC which I believe makes him an excellent choice to lead our programs. I am excited to see how he develops our cross country and track student-athletes, not only as competitors, but as Christian Game-Changers."
 
Penberthy takes the helm at PBA after several years of coaching at the NCAA DI level. Most recently, Penberthy was an assistant coach specializing in distance events since July 2021 at UT-Rio Grande Valley. Before UTRGV, Penberthy held the same role at Georgia Southern from 2018-21. In his time at Georgia Southern, he trained three All-Sun Belt first-team honorees and trained the Eagles' first outdoor Sun Belt Champion in program history in the 5k. Georgia Southern broke seven school records while Penberthy was on staff.
 
"I'm so excited God blessed me with an opportunity to come back to south Florida," Penberthy said. "I'd like to thank UTRGV for the opportunity it presented. I'm excited for what the future at PBA holds. I believe that my vision for the program aligns with the mission of A.D. Courtney Lovely Evans, Associate A.D. TJ Budd, and the PBA family. I'm excited about the opportunity of working with a tremendous group of young people on the team, and I can't wait to get started."
 
Before his stint with the Eagles, Penberthy was a volunteer at the University of Oklahoma for the 2017-18 school year. He also has ties in Florida and the Sunshine State Conference, serving as a volunteer coach for the Florida Southern program during the 2016-17 school year. Penberthy has some head coaching experience at the high school level. He led two separate periods as the head coach of the cross country and track program at Evangelical Christian School in Fort Myers, Fla. totaling four years.
 
Penberthy is tasked with taking over at PBA right before the start of the track season. He will lead both the men's and women's programs in the spring before coaching his first cross country season for the Sailfish in the fall of 2022