Men's Tennis 8/5/2025 2:32:00 PM

Castañeda added to Men's and Women's Tennis Staff

SEWANEE, Tenn. – Men's and women's head tennis coaches, Conchie Shackelford and Hamza Khan, have announced Zulay Castañeda as the new assistant coach for the men's and women's tennis programs.

Castañeda comes to Sewanee after serving the past two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Longwood University, where she supported both the men's and women's teams. While at Longwood, she contributed to player development, coordinated team logistics, assisted in practice and match planning, and supported academic monitoring and video analysis. Her holistic approach to coaching helped cultivate a culture of resilience, team unity, and balance between academics and athletics.

A native of Panama, Castañeda is currently a member of the Panamanian Women's National Team and has served as the country's No. 1 female player since 2016. She brings a wealth of high-level playing experience to the Sewanee tennis programs.

Castañeda had an accomplished collegiate playing career as well. She competed at ASA College Miami, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and Newberry College, earning national and conference honors at each stop. Her accolades include a national team championship at ASA, First Team All-American status in singles while at Southeastern Oklahoma State, and South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honors at Newberry. She was also named Newberry's Female Athlete of the Year and served as team captain.

In addition to her collegiate coaching and playing experience, Castañeda has volunteered with FUDESAP since 2010, helping children from underprivileged backgrounds in Panama develop life skills through tennis.

Castañeda holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sport Management with a minor in Business Administration from Newberry College and a MBA from Longwood University. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Sport Psychology through the Ibero-American Society of Sports Psychology.

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