Maritza Correia Biography: Spouse, Siblings, Parents, Height, Age, Net Worth, Awards, Children
Maritza Anne Correia McClendon, professionally known as Maritza Correia, is an American former competitive swimmer, corporate executive, sports ambassador, and water safety advocate who made history as an elite athlete representing the United States.
She became the first African American woman to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team when she qualified for the 2004 Athens Games, where she won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Her achievement established her as a trailblazer for greater diversity in American swimming.
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After retiring from competitive swimming, McClendon moved into corporate leadership, mentoring, public speaking, and water safety advocacy.
She has worked in brand marketing and continues to use her Olympic experience to encourage swimming participation and improve water safety among minority communities.
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Maritza Anne Correia McClendon |
| Stage Name: | Maritza Correia |
| Born: | December 23, 1981 (age 44 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| State Of Origin: | Florida |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | Afro-Puerto Rican, Guyanese-American |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Parents: | Vincent Correia, Anne Correia |
| Siblings: | Justin Correia |
| Spouse: | Chad McClendon |
| Relationship: | Married |
| Children: | Kason McClendon, Sanaya Anne McClendon |
| Occupation: | Former Competitive Swimmer, Corporate Executive, Sports Ambassador, Water Safety Advocate |
| Net Worth: | $1.5 million |
Early Life and Education
Maritza Correia was born on December 23, 1981, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Her parents, Vincent Correia and Anne Correia, were originally from Guyana, and she grew up alongside her brother, Justin Correia. Her family moved from Puerto Rico to Tampa, Florida, in 1990, when she was nine years old.
McClendon was introduced to swimming after being diagnosed with severe scoliosis as a child. Her doctors recommended swimming as a way to help with her condition, and what began as therapy gradually became a serious sporting pursuit.
She started with lessons in a backyard pool before joining the Brandon Blue Wave swim program, where coach Peter Banks trained her.
She attended Tampa Bay Technical High School, where she became a six-time Florida state champion in five different events. She also earned a spot on the USA National Junior Team and the USA Short Course World Championship Team before graduating.
In 1999, McClendon entered the University of Georgia and joined the Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving program.
She studied sociology and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her college career, she won 11 NCAA titles and became a 27-time All-American.
Personal Life
Maritza Correia has been married to Chad McClendon since 2010. The couple has two children: a son, Kason McClendon, and a daughter, Sanaya Anne McClendon.
They have built their family life around Atlanta, Georgia, while McClendon continues to balance her professional responsibilities with speaking engagements and community work. Maritza continues to describe herself as a wife and mother while maintaining a full-time career.
She regularly travels for speaking engagements and water safety programs, while her husband and children remain an important part of her life outside her work.
Her relationship with her late father, Vincent Correia, was complicated early in her swimming career because of the pressure he put on her performance.
After she failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympic team, she went through a period of depression and later sought professional help. Their relationship eventually improved, and before his death from prostate cancer in 2008, he told her mother that he was proud of her.
Career
Maritza McClendon became a leading American swimmer in her teens. In 1999, she won the U.S. national title in the 50-meter freestyle and continued developing into one of the country’s strongest freestyle swimmers.
After joining the University of Georgia, she became one of the most decorated athletes in the school’s swimming program, winning 11 NCAA championships and earning 27 All-American honours.
Her collegiate career also included major records. She became a world-record holder in the short-course 400-meter medley relay and held American records in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle.
Her success at Georgia helped her regain momentum after missing the 2000 Olympic team and eventually put her in position to qualify for the U.S. Olympic squad four years later.
Maritza made history at the 2004 Athens Olympics when she became the first African American woman to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team. She competed in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and helped the American team win silver.
The achievement made her the first African American woman to win an Olympic swimming medal for the United States.
She remained involved in international swimming and later won a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 2007 Pan American Games. A double-shoulder injury eventually ended her competitive swimming career in 2008.
After retiring, Maritza moved into corporate marketing, working with Nike Swim before becoming a senior brand marketing manager at Carter’s, the children’s clothing company.
She also began mentoring young athletes and has used lessons from her swimming career to advise professionals and students on leadership, discipline, and career development.
Maritza has remained particularly active in water safety advocacy. She became a spokeswoman for Swim 1922, a partnership between USA Swimming and Sigma Gamma Rho that works to increase swimming participation and reduce drowning in Black communities.
She also travels around the United States as a motivational speaker, sharing her experiences in athletics, overcoming setbacks, and breaking barriers in swimming.
Awards
- United States National Champion – 50m Freestyle (1999)
- NCAA National Champion – Multiple Events (2000–2003)
- World Aquatics Championship Gold Medal – 4x100m Freestyle Relay (2001)
- World Aquatics Championship Silver Medal – 4x100m Medley Relay (2001)
- World Aquatics Championship Gold Medal – 4x100m Freestyle Relay (2003)
- Olympic Silver Medal – 4x100m Freestyle Relay (2004)
- Pan American Games Gold Medal – 4x100m Freestyle Relay (2007)
- SEC Swimmer of the Year (2002)
- USA Swimming Diversity and Inclusion Award (2013)
- University of Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee (2019)
Net Worth
Maritza Correia McClendon has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.
Her income has been associated with her former professional swimming career, corporate marketing positions, speaking engagements, sports clinics, mentoring work, and partnerships connected to her water safety and diversity advocacy.
Social Media
- Instagram: @ritzyswims
- X: @4ritzy81
- Facebook: @4ritzy81
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