UMd. Swimmers, Divers Pushed Through Devastating Cuts While Competing This Season

After learning that the University of Maryland swimming and diving team could be cut, athlete Megan Lafferty had to push herself from devastated to motivated, The Washington Post recently wrote.

Lafferty wasn't the only athlete on the team who had to muster a bit of drive.

Junior Haley Bull said that when the team learned that University of Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson was speaking with them before practice one day last fall, they knew it would be bad news, .

“I don’t even think there are words to describe that feeling. We sat in shock for a few minutes and then it just hit us. My world just came crashing down in a second," Bull said.

Since that day, Bull put the bad news aside and started the season, competing with her little sister in mind. They both share a passion for the water, and she tries to be a role model for the 13-year-old, .

The parent-driven booster, Save Maryland Swimming and Diving, has pushed through challenges as well, and raised $1 million in pledges, but there's still a long way to go before reaching the $11.5 million goal to save both the men's and women's teams, The Post reported.

The swimming and diving team is one of eight programs (six teams) that could be cut, .

While Anderson said this goal is reasonable, state legislators have criticized the as using the fund raising as an “disingenuous” public relations tool, The Washington Post reported.

Read the full Post story here.