By DAVID MILLER sports@poncacitynews.com

Former Ponca City High School athlete Nate Macy recently was named one of four finalists for the NJCAA Assistant Coach of the Year award.

Macy is the assistant women’s coach at Casper College in Wyoming. He is in his third season at Casper and has helped lead the Lady Thunderbirds to an overall 87-13 record during that time.

In those three years the Lady Thunderbirds have won two Region 9 championships and earned a spot in two NJCAA Division I National Tournaments. This year’s national tournament, scheduled to have been played in Lubbock, Texas, was cancelled.

Macy went from being an athlete at Ponca City High School to working in a long list of coaching experiences.

He just finished his 12th season as an assistant. Before taking his current position in Casper, he was assistant to Greg Krause at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa.

Macy also was a graduate assistant and student assistant at the University of Central Oklahoma for the men’s team under then Head Coach Terry Evans. During his time at UCO, Macy helped win three Lone Star Conference North Championships, two conference championships, three NCAA Division 2 National Tournament appearances, one NCAA Division 2 South Central Regional Championship, and one NCAA Division 2 Elite Eight Appearance.

Macy also did a stint at Deer Creek High School Edmond. He also served under Krause in 2004-2005 as a student assistant coach.

He is the son of former Ponca City residents, Mark and Erika Macy.