"Go West, Young Man" is a popular American quotation that dates back to the mid-1800s. Former Upper Dublin High swim standout Megan Lafferty could adapt it to "Go West, Young Woman."
Lafferty headed west a few days ago - to the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. to compete in the 2012 United States Olympics Team Trials.
She will head west again later this summer - to finish her collegiate academic and athletic career at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Lafferty, who spent three seasons swimming for the University of Maryland, qualified for the "O" Trials in the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly events.
"I qualified for the 50 free and the 100 fly at last year's Senior Nationals at Stanford," said Lafferty. "Trials cut in the 50 was 26.39 and I got a 26.08. In the 100 fly, the trials cut was 1:01.99 and my time was 1:01.80.
"I got my 100 free cut at a big meet earlier this year in Fairfax, Va. I went there specifically to get my 100 cut because I just missed it at Senior Nationals. I did a two-day rest, wore a (fast) suit and got my Olympic Trials cut by one-tenth of a second."
The meet at Stanford was the main stage for Lafferty.
"I shaved and tapered for that meet," said Lafferty. "It was definitely where I wanted to get my cuts. I hadn't really swum long course seriously in a couple years. It was my first time to do a full shave and taper for a long course meet.
"I was training with my club team at home - Central Bucks Swim Team - at Central Bucks South with coach Stu Kukla. I began training with them at the start of my sophomore year."
When Lafferty swam at Upper Dublin, she was a four-year First Team Times Herald All Area selection - and the 2009 Times Herald Girls Swimming Athlete-of-the-Year. As a Cardinal senior, she won three medals at the PIAA Class AAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Lafferty captured the silver in the 100-yard backstroke (with time faster than the previous state record time) and won the bronze medal in the 100 butterfly. She was also part of the Cards' 200 freestyle relay that snagged the fifth-place medal.
Heavily recruited by a number of top NCAA Division I schools, Lafferty chose the University of Maryland. For the last three seasons, she has been one of the Terrapins' top swimmers.
The list of highlights from her recently-completed junior season includes Honorable Mention All-American, Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Swimming Performer of the Week (twice), Maryland top times in the 50 free (22.42), 100 free (48.82), and 100 fly (52.65) and ACC All-Academic.
Unfortunately for Lafferty, the University of Maryland pulled the rug out from under her (and her swimming teammates) when it announced that, as a cost-cutting measure, it was dropping women's swimming and diving as an intercollegiate sport.
"We found out at the beginning of November," said Lafferty. "It took me awhile to decide what I was going to do for the next school year. I just made the decision that I'm going to attend the University of Arizona.
"I heard from Arizona when our team got cut. I didn't want to go to another team in the ACC because I already raced against that competition. This will be a big change of scenery - especially with outdoor training.
"I was majoring in criminology at Maryland. At Arizona, my major will be public policy and management with a criminal justice track. I'll have a year-and-a-half of courses left to take and a year of immediate eligibility to swim."
But, before Lafferty makes the 2,400-mile trip to Tucson in August, she has a westbound trip that's 1,100 miles shorter - a trip to the big meet in Omaha.
"I definitely think competing in the Olympic Trials will be an awesome opportunity," said Lafferty. "I think it will be really fun just to be there and to be participating in the biggest meet in the world."