On June 19th, 2024, former Neuqua Valley swimmer Rachel Stege found herself competing at the Team USA Time Trials with a chance to punch her ticket to the Paris Olympics in the 1500 meter freestyle. In the lane next to her, was the most decorated female swimmer in history, 9 time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky. This Where Are They Now segment is presented by Grow Sports Psychology.
Stege’s journey to the doorstep of the Olympic games began back in Naperville, when she joined Neuqua girls swimming and diving team as a nervous freshman in the fall of 2017 alongside her older sister Kristen, who was a junior at the time.
“Coming in, I was very excited to join my sister. I worried about making the team. I remember my first day freshman year tryouts. I was scared. But it was just definitely worth it,” said former Neuqua Valley swimmer Rachel Stege. “Being a part of that helped me kind of realize I can do great things with swimming, with the team and myself.”
A record-breaking career at Neuqua Valley
After qualifying for state in four events in her inaugural season with the Wildcats, Stege took a massive step forward as a sophomore, developing into one of the best swimmers in the state.
At the 2018 state meet, Stege finished fourth in the 200 yard freestyle and won the 500 yard freestyle, setting a new IHSA record in the 500 with a time of 4:46.14. She was also a key part of the Wildcat’s first place finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relay, along with her sister, Kristen. The three first place medals helped Neuqua Valley win the first state championship in program history.
The next fall, Stege and her talented teammates repeated as state champions, with Stege sweeping all four of her events, bringing home four more first place IHSA medals.
“I mean the team was amazing. I miss them so much. But, being with them helped me gain qualities for the college team, because it’s very similar to high school in that way,” said Stege.
Continued growth with the Bulldogs
Following her graduation from Neuqua Valley in the spring of 2021, Stege moved on to swim collegiately at the University of Georgia, continuing her progression from one of the best distance swimmers in Illinois, to one of the best in the United States.
Swimming the 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle for the Bulldogs, Stege earned First Team CSCAA All-America citations as a sophomore and junior, thanks to back to back top seven finishes in the 500 free at the NCAA Championships.
Competing for the Olympics alongside Katie Ledecky
That all led to the 2024 Olympic Time Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where Stege qualified in four events, the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meter freestyles. The top two times in each race would earn a spot on Team USA, but considering Katie Ledecky was competing in all four events, it was essentially a race for second place and that final Olympic spot.
Despite being one of the greatest athletes to ever compete, Ledecky remained humble and kind towards her fellow Olympic hopefuls.
“She’s chill. I like to talk in the ready room because I like to be calm and chill, like I’m not serious and focused,” Stege explained. “That’s just not how I am. So I would we would talk, start conversations. I had never done the prelim and final mile (1500 meters). I was asking her about it because I was scared, because two days in a row of the mile is tough. And then, and then we had the 800 two days later. I was talking to her about miles, and she was like, well, this 800 is going to feel a lot easier now!”
Stege’s top two performances were in the 1500 meters and the 800 meters. She ended her week in Indianapolis with a 5th place finish in the 800 and 6th place in the 1500.
“Yeah, I was very happy with that. I wasn’t really expecting, honestly, I wasn’t expecting to be that successful in my events, but it was really fun,” said Stege.
While it was not quite enough to earn a trip to Paris, she was named to the 2024-25 U.S. National Team, which is made up of 106 male and female swimmers based on results from the Paris Olympic Games 2024 and times from January 1, 2024 through August 24, 2024.
“I was so excited to get that email. I was a little nervous this year because the field has grown so much. But it’s basically top six in every event. And last year I was on it for the 800 and the 1500,” said Stege. “But this year I didn’t make it in the in the mile by .01 seconds. So I thought I was off because I was seventh. I’ve was seventh in both. But then I snuck in the 400.”
Rachel Stege’s swimming journey is not finished yet as she prepares for her senior campaign at Georgia, where she is also completing her degree in finance, before pursuing a master’s degree next year.
“My goal for this year is nothing specific, just to enjoy my time as much as I can and not have any regrets,” said Stege. “And then I’m going to see how I am swimming-wise to potentially swim into the summer or just hang up the goggles. And then I’m going to school for one more year to get my master’s in financial planning.”
No matter how long she continues to swim competitively, her legacy as one of the greatest swimmers to ever come out of Naperville will always be remembered.
