2019 World Juniors team member Rachel Stege verbally committed to the University of Georgia on Sunday night as she will join the Bulldogs’ class of 2025. Stege is currently in her junior year at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois, most notably the same high school that 2016 Olympian Kevin Cordes went to. She swims for Fox Valley Swim Team in the Chicago suburbs.
Stege’s best event is the 400 freestyle where she was the bronze medalist behind Lani Pallister and Emma O’Croinin at the 2019 World Junior Championships this summer with a 4:08.30. That swim put her 35th in the world and 11th in the United States for 2019. Stege was 12th at US Nationals this summer in the 400 free and was also 19th in the 800 (8:38.42).
Stege’s best short course times came from March 2019 as she was a 4:43.24 in the 500 at NCSA’s and a 16:21.50 at Illinois senior championships.
Rachel Stege’s best times (SCY)
- 200 free – 1:47.62
- 500 free – 4:43.24
- 1650 free – 16:21.50
Rachel Stege’s best times (LCM)
- 200 free – 1:59.90
- 400 free – 4:08.30
- 800 free – 8:38.42
- 1500 free – 16:33.94
Rachel Stege will be a freshman at the University of Georgia in the fall of 2021 as Dakota Luther and Eva Merrell will be in their senior seasons for the Bulldogs and Zoie Hartman will be a junior. The Georgia women have produced many great female distance swimmers throughout the last decade including NCAA champions Brittany MacLean, Allison Schmitt and Wendy Trott.
Madison Drablos