University of Georgia Athletics
Stege’s Surge Back to Glory
May 23, 2023 | Women's Swimming & Diving
By Elizabeth Isakson
ATHENS -- Rachel Stege's journey in the sport of swimming has been nothing but a rollercoaster. A highly ranked recruit, she earned a spot on Team USA at the World Junior Championships in 2019, and went on to finish third with a bronze medal in the 400 meter freestyle. Following the successful summer, she committed to the University of Georgia as a member of the class of 2025.
"I swam at Nationals very ignorant of the World Junior meet and selection process," Stege commented. "I had no idea what my coach was talking about after my swim when he said 'You might be going to Budapest.' I didn't even know that was a thing…Recruiting was going on during this, which was a lot to deal with, but I went with my gut and became a Bulldog. I am beyond satisfied with my choice and wouldn't want it any other way."
However, in the fall of 2021, the Naperville, Illinois native did not have the entrance to college swimming she wanted. She faced a shoulder injury that left her just kicking during practice and then contracted mono, which kept her out of the pool for another five weeks, preventing her from traveling with the team to key meets and the SEC Championships.
With her mental state in the dumps, Stege felt new levels of disappointment.
"After hearing that I wasn't going to SEC's, I was tearing up in my goggles thinking about how much I have changed," she recalled. "I hated the swimmer I was and felt like a huge disappointment. I told my parents that I wanted to just stop and there was no point, they were very upset for me but believed that I could turn it around and still make NCAAs. I told them they were crazy and there was no way. But in my subconscious mind I wanted so badly to make a comeback."
After months of ups and downs, Stege found her groove in February, 2021. At the 2022 Bulldog Invitational, known as one of the last chances to qualify for NCAAs, Stege unleashed the talent that made her a household name back in Budapest. She first won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:43.07 and then the 1650-yard freestyle in 16:12.60. The latter win gave her the first NCAA bid of her young career, cementing just the beginning of her comeback to glory.
Under new head coach Stefanie Williams Moreno in the 2022-23 season, Stege reintroduced herself to college swimming, inspiring her own teammates in the process.
"It's been really great to watch [Rachel] Stege take off this year and become the swimmer we all knew she could be," said teammate and close friend, Sloane Reinstein. "I am so proud of her and how she's been able to push through setbacks and never lose the belief in herself. She's already done such amazing things, but there is definitely more to come, and I can't wait to see it all happen."
After months of rehab, hard work, sweat and tears, Stege climbed closer and closer to the personal best times that had made her such a highly ranked recruit in high school.
"In high school, I would drop almost every time I hit the blocks and it took a toll on me when that was not the case in college," Stege explained. "I set high expectations for myself but I also feel like I let others down such as my team, the coaches and my parents when I don't swim fast."
Finally, in February 2023, she broke through. Entering the meet with a 4:42.65 in the 500-yard freestyle from the midseason invitational, Stege found herself as the top seed heading into finals of the SEC Championships in that same event with a career best 4:38.19. It was the first personal best time in the event since 2020, and her biggest competitor for the night was her very own sister, Kristen Stege.
When asked about the feeling of finally going a 4:38, Stege said, "I was shocked. Honestly, I went in with no expectations or times in mind. I am just happy to finally be at SECs and to have fun. To finally go a best time after over two years was a huge relief, the work was finally paying off. Not going to lie, in between prelims and finals I was pretending like I wasn't nervous, but I really was and I actually couldn't nap because my heart was racing just thinking about finals. And, I was so insanely excited to race with my sister at my first SECs and her last."
Rachel Stege was not finished. In a race for the ages, she out touched her older sister in the finals of the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:36.31, the second-fastest time in the country in the season thus far. She climbed onto the podium on a televised stage for the first time since Budapest in 2019. But this time, as a champion and gold medalist. Her teammate and fifth-year backstroker, Marie Schobel, hugged her post race saying "You're back Rach… you're back!"
Stege said this moment had her feeling "like I was back where I was supposed to be. I will never forget being bombarded with hugs after getting out of the pool by my teammates and Stef. It made me remember how lucky I am to be here at Georgia and to have not quit like I was planning after freshman year." She also explained how "It was a very rocky, bumpy, windy climb back but I wouldn't change it if I had the chance. Every injury, illness and failure shaped me into the swimmer and person I am today. They say smooth seas don't make skilled sailors and I would say the same for swimmers. Every time I was knocked down, I got back up and it made me so strong in the end."
She finished up her first SECs in the 1650 freestyle, placing 6th with another personal best time of 16:00.96. Both the 500 and 1650 yard freestyle qualified her for the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
Stege still had a few more steps to climb. At NCAAs, while not achieving a personal best in the 500 freestyle, she still found herself on the podium as the 5th place finisher. While the finish was not exactly what she wanted, she was not phased: "My 500 wasn't my favorite race and I was kind of getting down on myself until I put myself back into perspective. I went from being 50th last year to 5th this year. I divided my placement by 10. Last year I never would have dreamed to have gone where I did place and time wise. I got right mentally by the time of the mile and that was 100% the reason I had that good of a swim."
In the 1650-yard freestyle, a race in which Stege was still learning how to pace herself, she closed in on the field with an incredible last 100 yards, finishing in a personal best time of 15:54.55. This put her on the podium again in 8th place in the entire NCAA, finishing her comeback season.
Her freshman year, after a season that felt like a rollercoaster ride, Stege placed 50th in the 500 freestyle and 35th in the 1650 yard freestyle. This past season, her sophomore year, she placed 5th and 8th, respectively.
Despite so many challenges and obstacles, Stege continues to battle back. There is so much pressure on highly-ranked recruits coming out of high school. And, with the combination of an injury that could have made her break down and quit, Stege kept fighting.
Stege admitted that the path was far from easy, saying that she did have conversations with coaches about quitting; however, she says that "Stef and Neil were a huge help in trying to help me regain my confidence and happiness. They understood what I needed and believed in me so much, even more than I did myself. To have a coaching staff like them is what I wish every athlete could have, I feel so lucky to be training under them."
Beyond the pool, she had her parents and sister, too, who reminded her of what she would be giving up, and encouraged her to keep fighting. She admitted she's glad she listened to them because "they're always right."
Recently, Stege was called on to show a video that would inspire her teammates in the weight room workout that Friday. The video featured Beyonce, who said to "embrace the struggle, surviving that struggle will strengthen you." Stege embraced the struggles and came out the other side on top.
Rachel Stege is a prime example of how fight, faith in the work, and embracing the struggle you face only makes you better in the future. And, while Stege's surge back to the top continues to inspire her teammates, friends and coaches, she is definitely not done yet.
ATHENS -- Rachel Stege's journey in the sport of swimming has been nothing but a rollercoaster. A highly ranked recruit, she earned a spot on Team USA at the World Junior Championships in 2019, and went on to finish third with a bronze medal in the 400 meter freestyle. Following the successful summer, she committed to the University of Georgia as a member of the class of 2025.
"I swam at Nationals very ignorant of the World Junior meet and selection process," Stege commented. "I had no idea what my coach was talking about after my swim when he said 'You might be going to Budapest.' I didn't even know that was a thing…Recruiting was going on during this, which was a lot to deal with, but I went with my gut and became a Bulldog. I am beyond satisfied with my choice and wouldn't want it any other way."
However, in the fall of 2021, the Naperville, Illinois native did not have the entrance to college swimming she wanted. She faced a shoulder injury that left her just kicking during practice and then contracted mono, which kept her out of the pool for another five weeks, preventing her from traveling with the team to key meets and the SEC Championships.
With her mental state in the dumps, Stege felt new levels of disappointment.
"After hearing that I wasn't going to SEC's, I was tearing up in my goggles thinking about how much I have changed," she recalled. "I hated the swimmer I was and felt like a huge disappointment. I told my parents that I wanted to just stop and there was no point, they were very upset for me but believed that I could turn it around and still make NCAAs. I told them they were crazy and there was no way. But in my subconscious mind I wanted so badly to make a comeback."
After months of ups and downs, Stege found her groove in February, 2021. At the 2022 Bulldog Invitational, known as one of the last chances to qualify for NCAAs, Stege unleashed the talent that made her a household name back in Budapest. She first won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:43.07 and then the 1650-yard freestyle in 16:12.60. The latter win gave her the first NCAA bid of her young career, cementing just the beginning of her comeback to glory.
Under new head coach Stefanie Williams Moreno in the 2022-23 season, Stege reintroduced herself to college swimming, inspiring her own teammates in the process.
"It's been really great to watch [Rachel] Stege take off this year and become the swimmer we all knew she could be," said teammate and close friend, Sloane Reinstein. "I am so proud of her and how she's been able to push through setbacks and never lose the belief in herself. She's already done such amazing things, but there is definitely more to come, and I can't wait to see it all happen."
After months of rehab, hard work, sweat and tears, Stege climbed closer and closer to the personal best times that had made her such a highly ranked recruit in high school.
"In high school, I would drop almost every time I hit the blocks and it took a toll on me when that was not the case in college," Stege explained. "I set high expectations for myself but I also feel like I let others down such as my team, the coaches and my parents when I don't swim fast."
Finally, in February 2023, she broke through. Entering the meet with a 4:42.65 in the 500-yard freestyle from the midseason invitational, Stege found herself as the top seed heading into finals of the SEC Championships in that same event with a career best 4:38.19. It was the first personal best time in the event since 2020, and her biggest competitor for the night was her very own sister, Kristen Stege.
When asked about the feeling of finally going a 4:38, Stege said, "I was shocked. Honestly, I went in with no expectations or times in mind. I am just happy to finally be at SECs and to have fun. To finally go a best time after over two years was a huge relief, the work was finally paying off. Not going to lie, in between prelims and finals I was pretending like I wasn't nervous, but I really was and I actually couldn't nap because my heart was racing just thinking about finals. And, I was so insanely excited to race with my sister at my first SECs and her last."
Rachel Stege was not finished. In a race for the ages, she out touched her older sister in the finals of the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:36.31, the second-fastest time in the country in the season thus far. She climbed onto the podium on a televised stage for the first time since Budapest in 2019. But this time, as a champion and gold medalist. Her teammate and fifth-year backstroker, Marie Schobel, hugged her post race saying "You're back Rach… you're back!"
Stege said this moment had her feeling "like I was back where I was supposed to be. I will never forget being bombarded with hugs after getting out of the pool by my teammates and Stef. It made me remember how lucky I am to be here at Georgia and to have not quit like I was planning after freshman year." She also explained how "It was a very rocky, bumpy, windy climb back but I wouldn't change it if I had the chance. Every injury, illness and failure shaped me into the swimmer and person I am today. They say smooth seas don't make skilled sailors and I would say the same for swimmers. Every time I was knocked down, I got back up and it made me so strong in the end."
She finished up her first SECs in the 1650 freestyle, placing 6th with another personal best time of 16:00.96. Both the 500 and 1650 yard freestyle qualified her for the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
Stege still had a few more steps to climb. At NCAAs, while not achieving a personal best in the 500 freestyle, she still found herself on the podium as the 5th place finisher. While the finish was not exactly what she wanted, she was not phased: "My 500 wasn't my favorite race and I was kind of getting down on myself until I put myself back into perspective. I went from being 50th last year to 5th this year. I divided my placement by 10. Last year I never would have dreamed to have gone where I did place and time wise. I got right mentally by the time of the mile and that was 100% the reason I had that good of a swim."
In the 1650-yard freestyle, a race in which Stege was still learning how to pace herself, she closed in on the field with an incredible last 100 yards, finishing in a personal best time of 15:54.55. This put her on the podium again in 8th place in the entire NCAA, finishing her comeback season.
Her freshman year, after a season that felt like a rollercoaster ride, Stege placed 50th in the 500 freestyle and 35th in the 1650 yard freestyle. This past season, her sophomore year, she placed 5th and 8th, respectively.
Despite so many challenges and obstacles, Stege continues to battle back. There is so much pressure on highly-ranked recruits coming out of high school. And, with the combination of an injury that could have made her break down and quit, Stege kept fighting.
Stege admitted that the path was far from easy, saying that she did have conversations with coaches about quitting; however, she says that "Stef and Neil were a huge help in trying to help me regain my confidence and happiness. They understood what I needed and believed in me so much, even more than I did myself. To have a coaching staff like them is what I wish every athlete could have, I feel so lucky to be training under them."
Beyond the pool, she had her parents and sister, too, who reminded her of what she would be giving up, and encouraged her to keep fighting. She admitted she's glad she listened to them because "they're always right."
Recently, Stege was called on to show a video that would inspire her teammates in the weight room workout that Friday. The video featured Beyonce, who said to "embrace the struggle, surviving that struggle will strengthen you." Stege embraced the struggles and came out the other side on top.
Rachel Stege is a prime example of how fight, faith in the work, and embracing the struggle you face only makes you better in the future. And, while Stege's surge back to the top continues to inspire her teammates, friends and coaches, she is definitely not done yet.
Players Mentioned
Breast / IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Back / Fly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
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