A career that started with a microphone and Geneseo High School sports is taking Zach Mackey to his biggest stage yet.
Zach Mackey. Submitted Photo
The 2014 Geneseo High School graduate is joining the Big Ten Network in a full-time play-by-play role, a move that will bring Mackey back to the conference where he began building his broadcasting career as a University of Iowa student.
“I’ve had the dream of broadcasting sports since my time at Geneseo, so to look back now and realize I’m still getting to do what I dreamed about back then is pretty special,” Mackey said.
Mackey and his wife, McKenna, recently moved to Chicago as he prepares to begin the new position. His first assignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, when he will call the Nebraska-Notre Dame women’s soccer match.
The new role will put Mackey behind the microphone for a wide range of Big Ten sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, volleyball, soccer, baseball and softball. Some broadcasts will originate from BTN's Chicago studios, while others will send him on the road to campuses throughout the conference.
For Mackey, the opportunity didn't arrive overnight.
Three years ago, he called five events for BTN. That grew to 13 the following year and 22 last year.
“I continued to get more opportunities each year, which made me hopeful that eventually I’d have the chance to make the move to the Big Ten Network full-time,” he said. “I was really excited when the opportunity came together because it’s something I’ve been working toward for quite a while.”
From Geneseo to Iowa — and Beyond
Mackey's broadcasting roots reach back to Geneseo, where he was already gaining recognition behind a microphone while still in high school. He went on to the University of Iowa, graduating in 2018 with a degree in sports communication. During college, he called Iowa baseball and worked on football pregame and postgame coverage, along with other broadcasting roles.
His career then took him west to Montana State, where he spent three years broadcasting Bobcats football and men's basketball. Among the highlights was calling Montana State's appearance in the FCS national championship game and the men's basketball team's return to the NCAA Tournament. He was also named the 2021 Montana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
In 2022, another opportunity arrived.
Mackey was named director of broadcasting for Virginia Tech Sports Properties, becoming the play-by-play voice for Hokies men's basketball while also working as a football sideline reporter and contributing to podcasts, shows and other athletic department programming.
Each stop, Mackey said, gave him something different.
“At Iowa, I learned what it was like to follow a team closely and tell the story of that team through broadcasting,” he said. “At Montana State, I got the opportunity to do both football and men’s basketball, which taught me a lot about covering different sports for a school. Then, at Virginia Tech, I learned what it was like to broadcast at the Power 4 level in the ACC.”
Leaving Virginia Tech wasn't an easy decision.
Mackey said he'll especially miss the relationships he developed while covering the same teams throughout their seasons — experiencing the highs and lows alongside players, coaches and colleagues.
BTN will change that rhythm.
Rather than spending an entire season embedded with one program, Mackey will move among teams, sports and campuses across the conference.
“There’s something really special about being able to experience the ups and downs with a team and build those relationships over the course of a year,” he said. “The Big Ten Network will be a different experience because I’ll be covering the conference as a whole and working with a variety of teams rather than following one team all season.”
It's a change he's ready to embrace.
Coming Full Circle
There is also a bit of symmetry to Mackey's return to the Big Ten.
As a University of Iowa student, he participated in Big Ten Network Student U, which gives students hands-on experience producing and broadcasting collegiate sporting events.
Now he'll be calling games for the network professionally.
“I’ve always followed and loved the Big Ten, so it’s pretty special to be back covering the conference and doing it at this level,” Mackey said.
His path illustrates just how quickly a broadcasting career can grow — and how uncertain that path can be.
“I always hoped I’d get the opportunity to do this professionally, but I never knew if it would actually happen,” he said. “It’s a very competitive industry, so you can work hard and put yourself in position for opportunities, but there are never any guarantees.”
Mackey has steadily accumulated those opportunities.
From Geneseo High School to Iowa, Montana State, Virginia Tech and now BTN, each job has moved him closer to the kind of broadcasting career he envisioned growing up.
“I feel incredibly grateful that I get to do something I truly love and have fun doing it at the same time,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do the best job I can wherever I am and make the most of every opportunity.”
More Than One New Chapter
The move to Chicago isn't the only major change coming for the Mackeys this fall.
Zach met McKenna during his time in Virginia after the two were introduced through mutual friends. Now, alongside a new city and new job, they're preparing for an even bigger arrival.
The couple is expecting their first child — a baby girl — in October.
“Virginia Tech has been good to me in more ways than one,” Mackey said.
For someone whose career has already carried him from Geneseo to Iowa City, Bozeman, Blacksburg and now Chicago, the coming months will bring several new roles at once.
One of them just happens to come with a Big Ten Network microphone.
“I’ve always dreamed of calling and being a part of some of the biggest games and events in sports,” Mackey said.
Now, he'll get another chance to see where that dream takes him next.