Athlete Profile: Rainy Castaneda

By John Posey, Urban Sports News

Rainy Castaneda is a senior at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio, Texas. Rainy has a ready smile which masks a strong competitive spirit inside her petite body. She may be small, but Rainy is a woman of stature, on and off the track.

Rainy competes in distance races from 1,500 to 5,000 meters in track and field. Rainy also competes in the grueling 3,000 meter steeplechase. The decorated senior also competes in cross-country in the fall.

Rainy has compiled an impressive list of athletic and academic achievements during er career. As a junior, she earned third team All-Southland Conference honors in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:38.33 and she was fifth in the conference in the steeplechase. She was seventh at the indoor conference championships in the 5,000 meters when she set the school record with a time of 17:36.21. During the outdoor season she set school records in the 3,000 meters (10:05.90), the 5,000 meters (17:21.00) and the steeplechase (10:49.39). She ran the 1500 meters twice during the year and finished second both times. Rainy won the 5,000 meters at the Kansas Relays and the steeplechase at the Victor Lopez Classic hosted by Rice. She was named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and was UIW Female Athlete of the Year.

In Cross Country, during the 2016 season, Rainy Castaneda started the season with a second place finish in the Alamo City Opener a the Live Oack City Park with a 15:02.39 time that helped the Cardinals win the meet. She barely missed a top ten finish in the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree 5k and the UIW Invitational 6k by crossing the line 11th. In the Jamboree, Castaneda had a 19:18.18 time and the Invitational time was 23:48.0. In the SLC Championships, she closed her season in 17th place with a 21:47.3. Castaneda was named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

In high school, Rainy was a three-time Texas State qualifier in cross country at Laredo United South High School. Ms. Castaneda was named the school's Athlete of the Year in 2009 and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was also on the track team.

Rainy majors in government. She is a native of Laredo, Texas.

Th listed pictures below are of Rainy competing in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the Bobby Lane Invitational. She finished third.

Photos: Copyright 2017, John Posey, USN

[if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif] [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]