Former Milan star now a national champion

MARIAN ATHLETICS PHOTO

2025 Milan graduate Ben Riehle (third from left) was a member of the NAIA national championship 3200 relay team at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Florida. Riehle in two years has been named a national champ, All-American and All-Conference selection.

A county champion, a conference champion, a postseason champion and a state finalist. All of those labels fit former Milan running star Ben Riehle and now he can add another national title to his resume as Riehle was crowned an NAIA champion on March 6.

Riehle, who graduated from Milan in 2024, was a member of the 3200 relay team at Marian University which captured the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship in Gainesville, Fla.

This isn’t the first time for Riehle on the big collegiate stage but this time around he alongside Mason Platt, Charles Ledke and Tristan Trevino broke the indoor national championship record in the 3200 relay with a time of 7:27.72. The victory eventually paced the Knights to a team title as Marian won the meet with 66 points.

As for Riehle himself, this victory will no doubt elevate him to a second-straight season with honors as an NAIA All-American. Having been crowned an individual national champion a year ago, his freshman year also saw him named an indoor and outdoor All-American while also nabbing All-Crossroads League honors. The 3200 relay has been his specialty but other top times have been posted anywhere from the 800 run to the mile.

Riehle, who now enters the spring season of his sophomore year, opens the outdoor portion of the track and field season this Friday at the Miami University Blizzard Buster in Oxford, Ohio.