Junior Riccardo Maestri, a decorated swimmer before stepping foot at the University of Arizona, is only beginning to show his greatness.
 
Before becoming a Wildcat, the Italian native was on the Italian Olympic Team and Italian National Team in 2012. That year, he won two gold medals at the European Junior Championships in the 200 free and 4x200 free relay. In that relay, he helped set the European junior record. He has won over 30 national titles in Italy. Maestri also competed in the 2012 London Olympics, representing Italy in the 4x200 free relay.
 
As an exchange student in Missouri, the freestyle swimmer set every school record at Park Hill High School except the 100 back and 100 free. Maestri was a state champion in the 200 free and 500 free as well as the 200 medley relay while being an exchange student. He still holds the Missouri state record in the 200 free.
 
The 5-11 junior was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team for the 2015-16 season. That season, he swam 4:22.04 in the 500 free to earn second in the B final at the Texas Invitational. Last season, Maestri had the fastest time on the team with 1:34.81 for the 200 free. At the Pac-12 Championships in 2016, he finished second in the 200 fly in the B final (1:45.62). To close out the season, the swimmer placed 17th in the 800 free relay at the NCAA Championships with 6:20.73.
 
Maestri has learned plenty through being a student-athlete in Tucson. "One thing I've learned at Arizona is to work as hard as I can, sometimes even trying to surpass my limits, and giving up some things that I used to consider important to achieve something bigger," the junior said. "I also learned that time management is key not only between sports and school but also in life."
 
ArizonaWildcats.com sat down with Riccardo Maestri and talked about his favorite swim moments, hobbies, favorite movies, and more.
 
Describe Your Top-Four Swim/Dive Memories
1. Olympic Games in London
 
Maestri competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games, swimming the 4x200m freestyle relay
for Italy. His relay team finished sixth in heat one with a time of 7:12.69, which was 11th
overall.
 
2. Silver medal at European Championships
 
At the 2012 European Championships in Hungary and the Netherlands, Maestri and his relay
team earned a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay with a time of 7:13.10.
 
3. Winning the relay with European junior record at European junior championships
 
Also in the 4x200 medley relay, Maestri and three other swimmers won gold at the 2012
European Junior Championships in Belgium. The team finished with a time of 7:19.56.
 
4. NCAA championships
 
Maestri competed at his first NCAA Championships for Arizona in the 2015-16 season. The
junior took 17th in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 6:20.73, one spot from earing an
Honorable Mention All-America honor. In his second year as a Wildcat, Maestri is looking to
make it back to the NCAA Championships this season.
 
Hobbies
1. Watching TV shows is my main way of relaxing. It's great after a long day to just sit back and
unplug the brain for half an hour
2. Drawing has always been a big passion of mine. I grew up around my grandparents, who are
both artists, and they taught me how to draw and paint when I was very young. I like to
sketch abstract figures.
3. Listening to music. I can't stay without music when I'm home. I like any kind and I love to
sing along (even when I don't know the words or if I'm terrible).
4. Videogames, because who doesn't love some videogames?
 
Travel Destinations
1. Denmark: I've always been attracted to northern countries and their culture (Denmark was the country I did a project on in elementary school).
2. Australia and New Zealand: they are the furthest countries from home (Italy) and because it
looks like their system works well.
3. Peru and Bolivia: South American cultures have a lot of history and there are many cool
places to visit.
4. Thailand: their culture seems so different compared to that of Europe, and I've heard great
stories about it.
 
Movies
1. Interstellar: great actors and an incredible development of the plot. Also a great story of science fiction.
2. Inception: I think it has one of the best plots. It's very intriguing in its dreaming theories.
3. The Dark Knight: great movie in every aspect. I especially love Heath Ledger's part.
4. Memento: similar to Inception for some concepts. I love how the story is structured and
divided in parts that are recalled through the protagonist's memory slowly throughout the whole movie.
 
Ice Cream Flavors
1. Chocolate and everything related to it.
2. Chocolate chip cookie dough: we don't have it in Italy, so I discovered it only a couple of
years ago.
3. I'm just a huge ice cream fan, and I'm not too picky about it. Anything sweet works for me.
 
Categories: Events to compete in, celebrities, music, artists, hobbies, professional sports teams, athletes, travel destinations, movies, movie characters, holidays, ice cream flavors, favorite candy, languages you would to like to learn, favorite restaurants in Tucson, books, classes taken the UA.
 
Up Next: Arizona swimming and diving heads to Austin, Texas for a two-day dual meet starting on Fri. Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. MST.
 
Follow Arizona Swimming and Diving: For further coverage of Arizona swimming and diving, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and follow the team's Twitter (@ArizonaSwimDive) and Instagram (@ArizonaSwimDive) accounts.