It took more than 20 years, but Lucais MacKay is back in the Pac-12.
The UA named MacKay, a onetime USC football player, as its new throws coach on Tuesday.
MacKay comes to the UA from Penn State, where he spent six years as an assistant coach. While there, the Nittany Lions set school records in the men’s weight throw (24.02 meters), men’s hammer throw (72.70m) and the men’s javelin (79.91m). Under MacKay, Penn State athletes won an NCAA championship in the men’s weight throw and five Big Ten Conference championships.
Before Penn State, MacKay coached at Oklahoma State, Southeastern Louisiana and Cal Lutheran. A two-sport star in high school, MacKay spent one season playing football at USC before opting to focus on throws. After one season at a Los Angeles-area junior college, MacKay signed to throw at Georgia.
Wildcats coach Fred Harvey said he was "excited' to add MacKay, who replaces T.J. Crater.
“We have a storied history of greatness here at the University of Arizona in our throwing events, and we feel Lucais will continue this great tradition," Harvey said.
A former hammer thrower, MacKay was a 12-time USATF Championship participant. Between 2000-12, he was an eight-time finalist. He won an NCAA Championship while competing for the University of Georgia in 2003.
MacKay has a sociology degree from Georgia and a master's in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University in Irvine.
