Pepperdine's Renee Skiera Qualifies for Triathlon World Championships — Twice
8/27/2026 3:00:00 PM | Cross Country, Track
MALIBU, Calif. — Renee Skiera, a senior from Arlington Heights, Ill., and a member of the Pepperdine track and cross country team, will compete in consecutive Triathlon World Championships, the first this September in Pontevedra, Spain, and next year's in Germany. Her accomplishments come just two years after her first competition in the sport.
Skiera's path to triathlon was unconventional. Sidelined by injuries for much of high school and her first two collegiate seasons, she spent that time swimming and cycling to stay in shape while unable to run. Her preparation for triathlon only became evident later when she realized she had been unintentionally cross-training during her recovery.
"Getting injured is a sad or uncertain time for an athlete, but it's so cool that I was able to turn that challenge into something so positive," Skiera said.
The foray she took into triathlon mirrors when she first began competitive running in middle school: initial reluctance, soon followed by success.
Just outside her hometown, she decided to test her cross-training in competition for the first time. Competing in the 2024 Chicago Triathlon, she finished in the top five of her first-ever triathlon. That result qualified her for Nationals the next summer. Unfortunately, after a summer spent meticulously preparing herself, a deluge in Milwaukee forced the race to be canceled just minutes after warmups.
Left without a time at the 2025 Nationals, Skiera substituted a result from an earlier community race. Weeks later, while on main campus, she learned her submitted finish placed her in the country's top eight, propelling her to the 2026 Triathlon World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. There, she will compete in the Age-Group 20-24 Sprint (Draft Legal) Triathlon.
Skiera spent the summer of 2025 improving her running with the help of Pepperdine track and cross country head coach Lauren Floris. She largely trained for the other two disciplines, swimming and cycling, on her own.
"It is so exciting to see Renee making a splash in the triathlon scene," said Floris. "I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see what she does at Worlds this year. I'm also very grateful for coach Marella's partnership in helping Renee get ready for the swim portion of the event."
As Floris alluded to, Skiera added professional help in the pool in 2026, with structured swim training under Pepperdine swim and dive head coach Dan Marella. Practicing with the Waves, she was able to cut more than two minutes off her initial swim time. She also incorporated brick workouts, pairing two of the event's three legs back-to-back to prepare for race-day transitions.
"It's rare to have an athlete ask to cross train in pursuit of greatness outside of college athletics," Marella said. "We are so happy to have played a small part in her success."
Skiera also credited athletic trainer Courtney Rydholm for her success, noting that Rydholm's personalized training regimen helped her maintain consistency throughout this past summer.
"Initially, it can be difficult for an athlete to take a step back from their sport and fight against [the] mentality that more is always better," said Rydholm. "She committed to her cross-training days, and rather than seeing her bike or swim workouts as off days or easy days, she bought into the plan and was able to see these as ways to improve her performance."
This August at the 2026 USA Triathlon National Championships, Skiera again finished among the qualifiers, this time securing her spot at next year's World Championships in Germany.
"Being able to see her hard work up close, and to see all the potential in front of her, is truly the greatest honor and the best part of working in college sports," Rydholm added.
With a Worlds berth already secured for 2027, Skiera can turn her focus to the upcoming schedule: she will compete in the Waves Invitational cross country race, Sept. 4, before departing for the Triathlon World Championships in Spain, Sept. 18. Before she leaves, she plans to attend the swim team's ocean practices to help prepare for open-water conditions.
Six years after she first began cross-training out of necessity, Skiera will now compete on triathlon's biggest stage. There's nothing accidental about that.
"It's become a part of my life I look forward to continuing after college," she said.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK
The Pepperdine cross country/track program has a rich history dating back to the 1950s with six total individual national championships to come through the program. As one of the original three programs sponsored by then George Pepperdine College in 1937, the Waves immediately began to make a mark on the track world stage with eight total Olympians and multiple regional champions throughout the program's history.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine cross country/track news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineXCTR.
Skiera's path to triathlon was unconventional. Sidelined by injuries for much of high school and her first two collegiate seasons, she spent that time swimming and cycling to stay in shape while unable to run. Her preparation for triathlon only became evident later when she realized she had been unintentionally cross-training during her recovery.
"Getting injured is a sad or uncertain time for an athlete, but it's so cool that I was able to turn that challenge into something so positive," Skiera said.
The foray she took into triathlon mirrors when she first began competitive running in middle school: initial reluctance, soon followed by success.
Just outside her hometown, she decided to test her cross-training in competition for the first time. Competing in the 2024 Chicago Triathlon, she finished in the top five of her first-ever triathlon. That result qualified her for Nationals the next summer. Unfortunately, after a summer spent meticulously preparing herself, a deluge in Milwaukee forced the race to be canceled just minutes after warmups.
Left without a time at the 2025 Nationals, Skiera substituted a result from an earlier community race. Weeks later, while on main campus, she learned her submitted finish placed her in the country's top eight, propelling her to the 2026 Triathlon World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. There, she will compete in the Age-Group 20-24 Sprint (Draft Legal) Triathlon.
Skiera spent the summer of 2025 improving her running with the help of Pepperdine track and cross country head coach Lauren Floris. She largely trained for the other two disciplines, swimming and cycling, on her own.
"It is so exciting to see Renee making a splash in the triathlon scene," said Floris. "I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see what she does at Worlds this year. I'm also very grateful for coach Marella's partnership in helping Renee get ready for the swim portion of the event."
As Floris alluded to, Skiera added professional help in the pool in 2026, with structured swim training under Pepperdine swim and dive head coach Dan Marella. Practicing with the Waves, she was able to cut more than two minutes off her initial swim time. She also incorporated brick workouts, pairing two of the event's three legs back-to-back to prepare for race-day transitions.
"It's rare to have an athlete ask to cross train in pursuit of greatness outside of college athletics," Marella said. "We are so happy to have played a small part in her success."
Skiera also credited athletic trainer Courtney Rydholm for her success, noting that Rydholm's personalized training regimen helped her maintain consistency throughout this past summer.
"Initially, it can be difficult for an athlete to take a step back from their sport and fight against [the] mentality that more is always better," said Rydholm. "She committed to her cross-training days, and rather than seeing her bike or swim workouts as off days or easy days, she bought into the plan and was able to see these as ways to improve her performance."
This August at the 2026 USA Triathlon National Championships, Skiera again finished among the qualifiers, this time securing her spot at next year's World Championships in Germany.
"Being able to see her hard work up close, and to see all the potential in front of her, is truly the greatest honor and the best part of working in college sports," Rydholm added.
With a Worlds berth already secured for 2027, Skiera can turn her focus to the upcoming schedule: she will compete in the Waves Invitational cross country race, Sept. 4, before departing for the Triathlon World Championships in Spain, Sept. 18. Before she leaves, she plans to attend the swim team's ocean practices to help prepare for open-water conditions.
Six years after she first began cross-training out of necessity, Skiera will now compete on triathlon's biggest stage. There's nothing accidental about that.
"It's become a part of my life I look forward to continuing after college," she said.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK
The Pepperdine cross country/track program has a rich history dating back to the 1950s with six total individual national championships to come through the program. As one of the original three programs sponsored by then George Pepperdine College in 1937, the Waves immediately began to make a mark on the track world stage with eight total Olympians and multiple regional champions throughout the program's history.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine cross country/track news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineXCTR.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
