Zulay Castañeda begins her second season as an assistant coach at Sewanee for the men’s and women’s tennis teams in 2026-27.
 
Castañeda served two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Longwood University prior to her time at Sewanee, where she supported both the men's and women's teams. She contributed to player development, coordinated team logistics, assisted in practice and match planning, and supported academic monitoring and video analysis.

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, bringing a wealth of high-level playing experience to the Sewanee tennis programs.

Castañeda competed at ASA College Miami, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Newberry College during her playing career, earning national and conference honors at each stop. Her accolades include a national team championship at ASA, First Team All-America honors in singles at Southeastern Oklahoma State and South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year accolades 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 bachelor’s in Psychology and Sport Management with a minor in Business Administration from Newberry College and a master’s in Business Administration from Longwood University. She is currently pursuing a master's in Sport Psychology through the Ibero-American Society of Sports Psychology.