• Three-Time World  Champion
• 11-Time NCAA Champion
• 27- Time NCAA All American
• Olympic silver medal in 2004 in 400m FR
• First female African American swimmer to make  US Olympic team and win a medal
• First African American to break a world record in swimming
• First African American female to hold American Records
• Former American record holder in 50y freestyle and 100y freestyle
• Two-Time Pan American Game Gold Medalist
• Three medals at World Championships 
• Four gold medals at 2005 World University Games

Maritza was featured in "Parting the Water" with Cullen Jones, a movie about challenges Latino and Black swimmers face. She works with Nike to help get inner-city kids into the pool and learning to swim, spreading her passion for the sport.

Background in swimming: I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was seven years old, and my doctor recomended to either get into swimming or gymnastics, and my parents decided to go ahead and try me out in a learn to swim program in Puerto Rico, where I was born. By the end of the summer I ended up liking swimming a lot more than I ever expected. What started out as a therapeutic remedy ended up being something I loved doing and was really good at. Through all the bumps in the road throughout my career, I stuck with it and never gave up. Eventually all the hard work paid off and I made the US Olympic Team in 2004 and came home with a silver medal.