2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS

• When:
  • Wave I Dates: June 4-7, 2021
  • Wave II Dates: June 13-20, 2021
• Prelims: 10am CDT | Finals: 7pm CDT
• Where: CHI Health Center / Omaha, Nebraska
• 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Cuts
• Wave I & II Event Order
• LCM (50m)
• Day 5 Prelims Live Stream (NBC Olympics)
• Psych Sheets
• Wave II Live Results

U.S. National Teamer and future Georgia Bulldog Rachel Stege is currently recovering from rotator cuff tendinitis that has limited her training leading up to Olympic Trials, according to a reliable source. This information coming to light provides some context behind Stege’s times this week, which have been well off her personal bests. Stege, the bronze medalist at the 2019 World Junior Championships in the 400 freestyle, was seeded 9th in that event heading into this week at 4:08.30, but added almost 11 seconds to finish in 4:19.24. She also competed in the 200 free, where she added 5 seconds from her 1:59.90 seed to finish in 2:05.06.

Stege is perhaps best known in swimming circles for her results in the summer of 2019, where she finished 12th in the 400 free (4:10.05) and 19th in the 800 free (8:38.42) at the 2019 U.S. Summer National Championships.  Those swims took her to the 2019 World Junior Championships, where she won a bronze medal in the 400 freestyle in 4:08.30.

While this is undoubtedly frustrating for the swim star from Naperville, Illinois, this is likely not the last time we will be hearing from Stege at big meets. Provided she’s healthy, Stege will be an immediate impact swimmer for the University of Georgia this fall, where best short course times from this past fall of 1:46.40 in the 200 and 4:40.03 in the 500 freestyle put her in great position to score individual and relay points at SEC’s and NCAA’s.

Stege’s older sister, Kristen Stege, has continued her breakout year with an excellent meet so far. As a sophomore at Tennessee this past NCAA season, Kristen, who is relatively new to distance swimming, finished 9th and 4th in the 500 and 1650 freestyles at the 2021 NCAA Championships. She has backed that up this week with a lifetime best time in the 400 freestyle (4:15.02), as well as a 7-second drop to place 9th in the 1500 freestyle (16:20.55).