Rico joined the Cuesta Staff during the 2018-19 school year and quickly established himself as a valuable member of the department.  Rico is a local product and graduated from Morro Bay High in 2012.  Then headed to the Bay Area to attend Cañada College in Redwood City.  He played baseball for the Colts and earned his Associates Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2016.  Rico earned an athletic scholarship to Indiana Tech and will be graduating with a BA in Recreation Therapy.           

Rico has always been involved in athletics and grew up playing baseball, soccer and football.  Before his sophomore year at Morro Bay, he committed to playing only baseball until he graduated.  He endured four injury plagued seasons at Cañada College, yet led the Colts to the playoffs in 2014 and 2016.  Rico was selected to the 2016 All-Coast Conference team for Canada and accepted a scholarship to Indiana Tech.  He played his final two years of college baseball for the Warriors, while also leading them to two NAIA playoff berths. Rico ended his collegiate career with a .299 batting average.

Rico spends the bulk of his free time power building, which is a mixture of powerlifting and bodybuilding. He also enjoys going on excursions with his dogs, Lola and Gizmo.  They can be found doing just about anything- from paddle boarding to hiking, and even mountain biking.  In his down time, Rico enjoys relaxing at the beach and has developed a strong interest in conservation, specifically marine conservation. He hopes to research in the future on sharks and coral rehabilitation.