Washingtonville Tennis Star Castillo Sanchez Thrives at St. Mary's University

Lucas Castillo Sanchez, who won a Section 9 boys' tennis title representing Washingtonville, is 12-2 this season as a sophomore at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, anchoring the Rattlers' lineup with a 6-2 record at first singles and a perfect 6-0 mark in the second singles position.

The numbers reflect a player who arrived in San Antonio with credentials well beyond the typical high school recruit. As an ITF junior competitor, Castillo Sanchez was a doubles finalist at a J4-level tournament in Santa Tecla, El Salvador; a two-time doubles champion and singles semi-finalist at J5 events in Kingston, Jamaica; and a doubles champion and singles semi-finalist in Cartagena, Colombia. That international resume preceded his college career and helped shape the left-handed power game that St. Mary's coaches have praised since his arrival.

His competitive foundation was built in part at home. Brothers Gabriel Castillo and Sebastian Castillo both played college tennis: Gabriel at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a Division I program in the Southern Conference, and Sebastian at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, a Division III school. The family pipeline across three distinct competitive levels gave Castillo Sanchez a built-in standard to measure himself against long before he competed collegiately. He credited that demanding practice environment and family support for his continued growth, and he has set his sights on helping St. Mary's compete for national honors.

St. Mary's Director of Tennis Bill Macom remembered giving a young Castillo Sanchez a lesson years before he enrolled and said he recognized a talent that has since matured into consistent collegiate performance. That potential was evident at the season's opening tournament: at the Trinity Invite in September 2025, Castillo Sanchez went 5-1, matching freshman Nikita Gavrilonoks for the second-best record on the squad behind junior Leonardo Fabbri, who led the team at 6-1. In doubles, Castillo Sanchez was partnered with Lincoln Baldonado.

Castillo Sanchez graduated cum laude from Washingtonville High School, where he earned honor roll recognition in all four years, before a brief period in Florida led him to St. Mary's. That academic record fits the profile of a Catholic liberal arts university where athletic ambition and classroom performance are expected to coexist.

St. Mary's competes in the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference, one of the premier Division II athletic conferences, and regularly sends programs to the NCAA postseason. The Rattlers' women's tennis program has made at least 11 appearances in the NCAA South Central Regional, with matches played at the on-campus Rohrbach Tennis Stadium, giving Castillo Sanchez's national ambitions a credible institutional foundation.

With two years of eligibility still ahead and a 12-2 record already in hand, the Washingtonville native's trajectory points well beyond any single conference season.