Maritza Correia (born December 23, 1981), also known by her married name Maritza McClendon, is a former Olympic

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

from Puerto Rico who swam representing the United States. When she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, she became the first Puerto Rican of

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

descent to be a member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team. She was the first female

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

swimmer for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to win an

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid o ...

. She also became the first

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

American swimmer to set an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and world swimming record.

Early years

Correia was born and raised in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

. Her parents, Vincent and Anne, had moved there from

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

. In 1988, when Correia was seven years old, she was diagnosed with severe

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...

.BLACK HISTORY MONTH: NATIONAL TEAM PIONEERS
Her doctor recommended that she take swimming classes and use swimming as a treatment for her condition. In 1990, her family moved and settled in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. Correia attended

Tampa Bay Technical High School Tampa Bay Technical High School (TBT) is a public comprehensive magnet high school for grades 9–12 in Florida, United States. It was established in 1969 as Tampa Bay Vocational Technical School. The school mascot is the Titan. Students apply ...

and joined the school's swimming team. In 1999, she became the 50-meter freestyle U.S. national champion in the 18-and-under category. She was also a six-time Florida high school state champion in five different events. Correia was a member of the 1997 USA national junior team that competed in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and the 1999 USA Short Course World Championships team that competed in Hong Kong. In 1999, Correia joined the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Lady Bulldogs swimming and diving team.NABJ Sports Task Force
/ref> She aided the team when they won their title in the 400 m freestyle relay. She earned a share of the SEC Commissioner's Trophy for high-point honors. Correia was the first swimmer in

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

history to win an SEC title in all freestyle events. During her college career she was a 27-time All-American, and 11-time NCAA champion.

National Champion, Olympics, Universiade

2000 US Olympic Trials

Correia hoped to participate at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. She competed at the Olympic Trials, but she failed to make the team.

2001 World Championships

In 2001, Correia won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle and two bronze medals in the medley and 400-meter freestyle relay as a member of the U.S. team at the 2001 World Championships in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

2002 NCAA Championships

In 2002, Correia became the national champion in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle and was a member of two winning relay teams at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Championships in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. She set the NCAA, American, and U.S. Open records with a time of 21.69 in the 50-yard freestyle, surpassing

Amy Van Dyken Amy Deloris Van Dyken-Rouen (born February 15, 1973) is an American former competitive swimmer, Olympic champion, former world record-holder, and national radio sports talk show co-host. She won six Olympic gold medals in her career, four of wh ...

's mark of 21.77 set in 1994. She earned seven

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n certificates and was awarded the Commissioner's Cup as the high point scorer in the SEC Championships.

2003 World Championships

In July 2003, Correia earned a gold medal swimming in a preliminary heat of the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay at the

World Aquatics Championships The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run by FINA, and all swimming events ar ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

2004

2004 Summer Olympics

She earned an Olympic silver medal swimming the prelims of the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

in August 2004. Correia became the first female African-American swimmer to win an

for the United States."1st African American woman to win an Olympic medal relects on the historic 1-2-3 Minority Finish at Women's NCAAs"
''

SwimSwam ''SwimSwam'' news is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012 and quickly became the most-read swimming website in the world. ...

''. March 23, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2021.

2004 World Championships

In October 2004, she won a gold medal swimming the prelims of the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay at the Short Course World Championships in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

2005

Correia attended the University of Georgia as a sociology major and graduated in 2005.

2005 Summer Universiade

In 2005, she won three gold medals at the

2005 Summer Universiade The 2005 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIII Summer Universiade, took place in İzmir, Turkey, in August. Emblem The emblem is the letter “U”, inspired by the bird's-eye view of the Gulf of İzmir. This shape has perfectly fit the lett ...

in Izmir, Turkey.

After swimming

In March 2010, Maritza married Chad McClendon, and on January 1, 2012, their son Kason was born. On September 25, 2013, the family added a daughter, Sanaya Anne.An Interview with Maritza McClendon
, February 22, 2012. McClendon is a member of

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922, by seven educators on the Irvington campus (1875–1 ...

sorority.

Highlights

*2004 Olympic silver medalist: 4 × 100 freestyle relay *First African American female to make the U.S. Olympic swim team *2000 NCAA champion: 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle relay, 400-meter medley relay *2001 NCAA champion: 800-yard freestyle relay *2002 NCAA champion: 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay *2003 NCAA champion: 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle *2000-03 27-time All-American *World record-holder in the 400-yard medley relay SCM at 2000 NCAA Championships *American, NCAA, U.S. Open record holder: 50-yard freestyle (21.69) in 2002 *American, NCAA, U.S. Open record Holder: 200-yard freestyle relay (1:28.74) in 2002 *American, NCAA, U.S. Open record holder: 400-yard freestyle relay (3:13.71) in 2002 *2001, 2003 two-time world champion in 4 × 100 m freestyle relay *2005 World University Games gold medalist: 50-meter freestyle, 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay, 4 × 100-meter medley relay, 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay *2006 World Championships silver medalist: 100-meter freestyle *2007 Pan American Games champion: 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay, 4 × 100-meter medley relay

References

External links

* * *
Swim Champions Fitter and Faster Tour

Arluck Promotions Agency

Parting the Waters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Correia, Maritza 1981 births Living people American female freestyle swimmers American sportspeople of Guyanese descent World record setters in swimming Georgia Bulldogs women's swimmers Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Sportspeople from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican female swimmers Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in swimming Universiade medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 2007 Pan American Games FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games